Crimson Bond
by Shinigamis Wrath
Summary: WHOO HOO CHAPTER 23! Things are heating up and it's not just in between the sheets! What happens if an apparent human turns half breed demonic? AUish. OCXGojyo. It's been forever since I updated!
1. Chapter 1

"_Submissive my ass!" _ Ty wrote furiously in her notebook that she shared with her friend Bode in their boring literature class about the standards for females in the late 19th century.

Bode looked over at her newest message and quirked a crooked smile as he reached for his pen to reply. "_Careful, Sweetie, just remember that the theory of women being submissive a good thing ended a long time ago, and no one that knows you would never label you with THAT misnomer."_

Ty glanced at the book, then spared a look for the teacher who was droning on endlessly in a monotone about the history of women's rights. She went back to the chat book as if she were taking notes. Absently she pushed back her long mahogany hair as she scribbled the next note…

Later outside of class, Ty sighed and stretched as she and Bode walked to their respective classes.

"What's that sigh for?" He glanced at her.

Ty looked up at the trees as they walked, "I don't know. Something's just not right with me lately. I can't explain it"

Bode looked fully at her for a moment. "You don't feel well?"

Ty shook her head, "No, no, nothing like that. More like, uh, ah hell, I don't know." She kicked a pebble and followed its path into the grass from the sidewalk. "I just, well, wish that I were invisible again." She added in a small voice.

"When in seven hells were you ever invisible?" Bode asked, slinging his book bag over his right shoulder.

Ty flashed a smile up at the taller man, "Back in high school. It was such a small area and I was always hanging out with the guys, so really I was just everyone's friend. No one really noticed me any more than anyone else. I don't know, I'm just tired, I'm just tired, is all." She was quiet for a moment before tossing her hair back over her shoulder, "Look, whatever, it was just a thought. Never mind it. Listen, I gotta jet—I have a class in Sheridan Hall and I can't be late."

Bode looked after her, "Sure, call me later, okay?"

Ty flipped a half-ass wave over the back of her shoulder, "Fine."

After a few minutes of walking aimlessly, Ty lost herself in thought. She didn't have class, she just wanted to be alone, and Bode knew the lie for what it was. She didn't know why she felt the need to ditch him, just didn't want to explain the half-irrational thoughts she had just spouted off. What was with her? She hadn't let these insecurities of hers surface for years. So what brought them now?

She shook her head, kicked another pebble down the path, straightened and turned direction as a marvelous idea struck her. It was time. Time for a whiskey and that's all there was to it!

Her thought was cut off sharply as she collided into a body standing in her way. She backtracked a few steps, yet a pair of arms grabbed onto her shoulders and wouldn't let go. Ty felt her hackles begin to rise.

"Is this the one, Cuz?" The man's voice was rough and so was his grip.

A girl walked out from behind the man and shrewdly looked Ty over. The girl was about five-four, three inches shorter than Ty, yet she looked like she had about fifteen pounds on Ty's one hundred-fifty pounds. She had long black hair and green eyes. "Yeah, she's the one." Her voice was as crude as her male counterpart's.

Ty tried to maintain calm as she arched an eyebrow to look at each of them disdainfully. "Care to tell me what this is all about, chica?" . Although despite that, she was losing the battle against trying to keep her temper under control. Mr. Grabby Paws had moved behind her and was still holding her shoulders firmly.

The girl got a smug look on her face, "That's for me to know, and you not to!" She scanned Ty up and down and added, "Carlos, take her. Oh, and don't banter words with me, bitch, it won't get you anywhere!"

Ty looked around-the campus was deserted-everyone was in class. Shit! This was about to get hairy. Grabby Paws Carlos started to shove her in the direction the evil wench was indicating. "Wait a second here, Bub. Just where are we going?" Ty decided to play along for just a moment. Anything to allow a few more minutes to try to decipher what in the seven hells was going on, and in case any innocent bystanders come along. Ty preferred to have witnesses for what may occur in the next few minutes.

"We're going where we can have a talk, oh, and don't try to sway Carlos, he's not taking what you have to offer. I doubt any man would." The girl sneered.

Ty felt her temper snap. She had gone too far with THAT comment. Carlos prodded her along for a few steps and Ty went with it, until they got in front of two buildings. Then she stopped cold in her tracks.

Carlos gave her shoulder a shove, "Move, girl." Ty withstood the buffets. The Girl joined in, though she was a little harsher. "Bitch! Let's go!"

When Ty didn't move, the Girl shoved harder at Ty's back. "Puta! Whore! Move your ass!" The shove planted Ty onto the sidewalk.

Slowly Ty picked herself up, turned to the pair. "Y'all just made a huge mistake." With that she cocked back her fist and sent it flying into the Girl's jaw.

Upon seeing his cousin hit the pavement and struggle to get back up, Carlos launched himself at Ty. He had about three inches on her and 40 pounds, but yet Ty fought back. The guy was quick! She double-timed it to evade his attacks and set a fresh flurry of her own against the larger man. Her knuckles hurt, her arms ached and her jaw hurt where he landed a lucky punch.

However, his fist burying itself in her stomach cut off Ty's latest assault of trying to get a good shot to his jaw. She doubled over in pain, the breath leaving her body in one great whoosh! And it refused to come back. Carlos chuckled and kept one hand on her sleeve as her knees crumpled to the ground. Stunned, Ty felt a smaller hand grasp her by the hair and lift her head up to face a malevolent green gaze, and suddenly Ty's cheek was on fire. The dumb bitch had slapped her!

The Girl laughed triumphantly and as Carlos held Ty, slapped her again. This time, Ty felt blood trickle down her cheek after the bitch's claws had torn furrows across Ty's cheekbone.

Ty threw herself into the struggle. Just how could there be NO ONE around at this time? There was _always _someone around on campus. This was eerie, but there was no time for that now. She finally broke out of Carlos' hold and got in a solid right cross that dropped the sonuvabitch. She then turned her attention to the girl. "Now, bitch, who sent you here, and why?" She spoke low and steady, even though she had to inwardly shake her head to clear it.

The girl edged back, "I—don't k-know." Fear filled her eyes.

Whiskey gold eyes narrowed in determination and fury as Ty advanced on the girl. "Bullshit." She stepped forward.

The girl stepped back again. "I'm not saying."

Ty smiled through her split lip and absently wiped at the blood along her cheekbone. "Fine with me, seems I owe ya anyway." And with that she dove for the girl.

Apparently, the girl fought better when she had a helper holding her adversary, Ty figured as they scrapped on the yard in front of Sheridan Hall. However Ty soon heard the shrill whistles and sirens of the campus police. Now they came? Ty punched the girl one more time before disengaging and walked a few steps away.

So when the University Keystone Cops tackled her, shoved her into the lawn and cuffed her hands behind her back, she was a mite surprised.

"What the fuck?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Miss Livingston, what a delight to have you in front of my desk again after all these years."

Ty glanced pointedly at the two Keystone Cops flanking her.

The Dean of Coriveau University caught the look and managed to look even smugger. "Oh, you don't like your escorts? I do believe they are needed, one never knows what you'll do. You seem to be a bit unstable."

In response to this, Ty shrugged her shoulders to emphasize the fact that her hands were still cuffed behind her.

"Yes, well, make that _very_ unstable." The Dean amended, and then added, "It's a lucky thing that Lexi DeLauro is at the infirmary and is getting treatment for the injuries sustained by you."

"Now wait just a damn minute here!" Ty finally spoke, but was cut off.  
"Silence! Miss Livingston, please! You're lucky I don't throw you out after this debacle. Her cousin Carlos received a concussion thanks to you, and for what? What did these two do to receive your assault?"

Ty could only gape at the woman. Was it possible to be senile at her age? The Dean's narrowed gaze and severe hair bun at the nape of her neck spoke of a harsh personality, yet she spoke with sympathy and compassion when talking of the two bastards that beat the shit out of Ty.

The Dean smoothed back a lock of mouse-brown hair and stared levelly at Ty. "I remember all of those pranks you pulled back in your freshman year were annoying, yet harmless, yet now you graduate not from this institution, but to assault and battery? I had really thought that you may have matured, but I see now that I was mistaken in that assumption."

Ty felt a little adrenaline inject itself into her battered system, "Dean, listen to me, you have this all wrong! They were the ones to come after me! I was just protecting myself!"

"Enough! Miss Livingston, first off you will address me as Dean Carson and furthermore you do no help your case by spouting off rubbish such as that. It simply will not be tolerated, do you understand me?"

Ty leaned forward angrily, "Rubbish? Why—"

"Officers, detain her!" Dean Carson exclaimed.

Ty felt the two police officer's hands bite painfully into her biceps. "I'm being railroaded here and either y'all are in on it or else y'all just don't give a fuck all."

"Miss Livingston, you will refrain from using such profanity in my office; now to see to your punishment." Dean Carson slipped on a pair of reading glasses and sorted through the papers in Ty's file.

"Holy shit. I can't believe this is happening." Ty laughed humorlessly.

Later that day, Ty finally made it back to her apartment. The first thing she did was pop a beer. The second thing she did was call Bode. Her body was sore, she was tired, and the cuts on her cheek stung like hell still.

"Hey, what's up?" Bode's voice welcomed.

Ty cut straight to the chase, "I spent the afternoon in handcuffs in front of Dean Carson's desk as she sorted out a 'suitable punishment'." She took a swig of beer.

"Whoa, What? Wait, back up here, just what the hell happened?" Bode's voice was concerned.

So Ty told him the entire tale from beginning to end and finished up with, "And instead of expulsion, I have to join a club affiliated with the University." She all but spat the words out. She had never participated in any clubs or organizations, and took pride in the fact.

"So did they choose-or did you?"

"Surprisingly they let me choose, 'course they sat over me while I perused the list to make sure I did just that."

"What did you pick?"

"The Rodeo Club; I figured I could let out some steam by riding a bull, or something. But that's not the shitty part."

"Well don't leave me in suspense, now." Bode drawled.

"The shitty part is the fact that they assigned me a 'mentor'. Ya know someone who makes sure you attend meetings, assist in fund raising, events, and the like. Hah! Warden would be a better term!" Ty smiled, yet winced when her split lip broke open again. She swigged some more beer in order to get the taste of blood out of her mouth.

"Well, you know you gotta go through with this, Ty. You're barely hanging on academically speaking anyway!" Bode voice came through the phone sounding anxious.

"Don't be such a gomer, Bode; I'm going to go through with it, even though I know I won't like it. I'm just going to do it to get them off my back, and so I can graduate." She swigged some more beer, yet paused with the bottle halfway to her lips when the door buzzer went off. Her roommate Alana must have left her keys at home here. She walked over to the intercom and buzzed her up. "Yeah so, I don't know, but Alana is home, so I think I am going to get going and have a chat with her, and maybe clean up a bit. Jeebis, she's gonna think I got raped or something." Just as she clicked her phone shut, the door knocked, and then Ty knew that it wasn't Alana at the door. She peered through the peephole, and then opened up the door.   
"Can I help you?" She asked, and mentally added '_Lord, I hope so.'_

Standing at her door was probably the sexiest hunk of human male Ty had ever seen. The boy stood about six foot two or maybe three, had wide shoulders tapering into narrow hips, sandy brown hair and a pair of sea green eyes which were currently filled with amusement as if he knew she was perusing him…and liking what she saw.

"I don't know, perhaps, depends." He drawled. He too took a good look at what was standing in front of him. So this was the troublemaker? Standing there, barefoot in jeans and a t-shirt that stated 'If I threw a stick would you leave', Ty Livingston was NOT what he had expected. Long mahogany brown hair fell down to the middle of her back and framed a pair of large golden brown eyes. Not was he was expecting anything in the least, but he was complaining at all.

"Depends on what?" She now leaned against the doorjamb and crossed an ankle over the other and looked saucily at him.

"On if you're the person I am looking for or not." He responded, sure that this was who he was looking for, made positive by the three furrows along the slope of her left cheekbone. This cat had been in a scuffle recently, and she didn't know where he was from, so he decided to see how far he could push it. He grinned, and poured all available charm he had into it.

"What kinda person you looking for, sugar?" Ty drawled on, oblivious to the rude awakening she was about to receive, and for the time being was enjoying the attention the handsome stranger was paying her. It had been a crappy day and so a little flattery was just what the doctor ordered.

"I'm looking for a girl by the name of Ty Livingston. You know her?" He kept the grin on his face, loving the fact that he was about to pull one over on the troublemaker.

"Then you're looking in the right direction, cuz that's my name." Ty smiled even broader, "Might I ask whose calling?"

"The name is Lane Cordell." He held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Lane." Ty took it and watched as her hand was swallowed up by his much larger one. "What brings you to my doorstep?" She looked up into his eyes.

Lane couldn't help feel just a little humor snake through him, if she was anything like he'd expected, she was not going to react well to this little revelation. "The Rodeo Club, I'm your new Mentor, it's a pleasure, Ty Livingson."

As expected, he watched as it didn't sink in for a moment, but when it did, shock, then anger, then full out fury leapt out of those tawny eyes.

Ty was furious! They were sending over her warden already? She hadn't even had time to clean out the wounds and examine her body for bruises! Damn this school, she wanted to know what was going on. However, she focused back to the matter at hand. "Lane Cordell, huh? My mentor? Ha! More like the Universities Warden for me. Afraid I won't come to your little club's meetings? Well, I will. I have had enough of this school to not want to tack on to my time spent here. I want to graduate and get the fuck out of here. So, there, you can rest assured that I will be there on Thursday, Mr. Cordell, now bye!" She went to slam the door in his face, but he moved quickly.

"Now, just hold yer horses here a minute. As your mentor, I see that your face is a mess, and therefore, I wouldn't be doing my job, if I ignored your battered state, now would I? So, we need to get those nasty cuts and bruises tended to." And with a speech like that, he forced himself into Ty's apartment, and into her life.


	3. Chapter 3

Ty rolled over in bed, gasping when sore muscles protested to move. She threw an arm over her face to ward out the morning sunlight filtering through her blinds and yelped when her forearm landed heavily on her bandaged cheek. Growling a curse, she gave up trying to float in that haze between wakening and slumber, and crawled out of bed and padded to the bathroom. Wordlessly, she started the shower and turned back to the bathroom mirror to where the white of the bandages stood out starkly against her tanned cheek.

The sight of those wretched things reminded her of Mr. Warden playing Florence Nightingale against her will. It still galled her to think that he examined her as if she were no more than a little girl who had skinned her knee. An innocent little girl, immune to those hands…and that voice…and what was she thinking? He had no bloody right to putting his hands on her person at all! Add the fact that he forced his way into her apartment, ALSO against her will. She began to pace as the bathroom filled with hot steamy water, heaven was only a step away, she just needed to tear these things off first, and replace them with fresh, non-Lane-tainted ones. She just needed to reach up, grab the corner of one…wait for it…and….Rriiiippppp…

Alana sat bolt upright in bed when Ty's blood curdling scream/yelp rent the air. "Damnit, Livingston, I'm trying to get some sleep!"

Later that day, Ty sat in the Literature class from Hell, and Bode was furiously writing in their notebook that they used to chat with each other during class. She leaned over and peered at what he wrote.

'_So, if you look this terrible, what do the other two look like?'_

Ty growled and grabbed her pen and the notebook from Bode's grasp. '_Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence, buddy. If you must know, they both had to go to the clinic to receive treatment.'_

Bode took the tablet back from Ty and she read a few minutes later, _'So, they went to the clinic and you got your mentor to 'service' you? Ty, I never knew you had it in you to seduce your mentor just to get through school. That's so cold-blooded.'_

Ty's jaw dropped, then she smiled evilly at Bode before writing, '_Well, you know, a person has to do what one can, or should I say who?'_

Bode had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. He grabbed the book and wrote, _'You're a hard woman, Ty.'_

She responded with, _'That's why you love me, Bode, admit it.'_

They both tried to subdue their laughter.

Later, as they walked out of class and down the sidewalk, they were chatting about inconsequential things when Ty heard someone shout her name. She looked over her shoulder, and immediately back again, "Goddamnit…what the hell does he want?"

Bode looked back to where Ty was glaring and saw a tall, rangy man loping towards them. So this was the warden, huh? Unconsciously, Bode moved closer to Ty in a protective gesture.

Lane noted the movement and looked from Bode to Ty. Obviously there were some feelings not being said here, because when looking at Bode, he was hovering over Ty, and throwing off a possessive air. Ty, however, was standing askance and slightly pulling away from Bode. Lane released a breath he didn't know he was holding in the first place. So the friend felt a little more than friends, but Ty wasn't buying. He didn't know why that little piece of information was pleasing to him.

"Uh…hello? You got something to say, or are you just going to stare at me all damn day?" Ty inquired impatiently. She so did NOT need this distraction! She was still trying to puzzle out why those two hooligans had wanted her.

"Ah, yes, Ty. Just letting you know that we are planning to have a bake sale to raise money for the Rodeo Club. And also to remind you that the weekly meeting is tomorrow night, so you wouldn't forget."

Ty remarked dryly, "Heaven forbid I should forget to go." She rolled her eyes, "Come on, Cordell, you know I won't miss it, cuz if I do, I'll be kicked out of college and you know I won't allow that to happen. Now what is the real reason you came truckin all the way out here to pester me with a measly reminder that could have been done over the phone?" Her smile bared more teeth than any real warmth towards its intended recipient.

Lane felt off balance, this girl was harsh! No one in the Rodeo Club was this standoffish, quite the opposite, all the girls were kind, considerate, out going, and willing to cheerfully put in an effort to help the good of the club. This girl was going to rip them a new one!

He glanced from her fiery golden eyes to the gaze of her 'protector'. Boden Christenson was not as tall as Lane, but had raven black hair and ice blue eyes. He was also a bit stockier in build to Lane's rangy form; nevertheless, he glared stonily at Lane as if to act as Ty's bodyguard. Lane wasn't going to get anywhere with Ty with this bloke around. He decided to withdraw for the time being.

"Listen Ty, I'll just talk to you tomorrow okay?" With that he turned on his heel and walked away, wondering all the while, why did he track her down just so he could say what he could have over the phone?

"Dumbass." Ty muttered and turned and strode efficiently to her where her pickup was parked. Bode silently followed, coming to difficult terms that he had a rival when it came to his best friend. He'd always liked her, but settled for friendship when it seemed that was all she was willing to give, but it still galled him to think that she might like this goody-two-shoe over him. "So, Ty, I'll talk to you later, then?"

Ty looked at her friend as she climbed up into her pickup, "Of course, someone has to save me from boredom, right?" She shut the door and immediately the diesel blew black as she growled to life. As Ty drove home she pondered the weird mood that Bode was in, it happened as soon as Lane walked up. Wait a second…he was jealous? Of Lane! He's gotta be off the reservation! She laughed as she shifted into overdrive and felt the turbocharger kick in. God, she loved her truck!

Later a night or two later, she was at home and watching a movie, she felt an odd sensation in her jaw. Absently she rubbed at her lower jaw and ground her teeth a bit. What was with it? It felt like her mouth was too tight for her teeth, and she needed to gnaw on something. What the bloody hell? This couldn't be from the ass kicking; otherwise it would have felt like this from the get-go. She continued to work her jaw as she walked to the bathroom and peered into the mirror. Her face looked the same. Just her jaw was tight and sore and it was getting worse! She headed back to her room and hit re-send on her phone and held it to her ear, expecting to hear Bode's voice, she got Lane's sleepy voice instead. Shit! He was the last person she called because she had needed to tell him of the recipes she was going to submit for the bake sale they were having in a week, and she'd forgotten all about it. Oh well, Bode would just overreact.

"Ty? What's up?" His voice sounded gravely and at the same time warm and comforting. To Ty then, it sounded like heaven.

"Cordell? I hate to ask you this but would you come over? Something's not quite right." She explained calmly, while inwardly she felt the pain increase, and panic started to edge in on her.

"Why, what's wrong? Ty? Hey!" Lane was instantly awake.

"I-I don't know…just come over, please?" Her voice ended on a whimper as she hung up the phone.


	4. Chapter 4

Lane stood before the door to Ty's apartment; unsure as to if he should just barge in or knock first. He was lucky to have bypassed the security door via a couple leaving just as he was walking in. He decided to just walk in because he could excuse it as an emergency if she got pissed at him later.

Just like the last time he'd been there, the commons area was neat and somewhat tidy. It had that lived-in look with books and magazines strewn artfully about the place, but the scene changed as he made his way to Ty's room.

The place looked like a bomb went off in it. Clothes hung on every available perch, and more piled on the floor. The bed was in disarray and there were beer, water, and pop bottles scattered around, accompanied by candy wrappers, and empty chip bags. All this produced the haggard landscape.

Amidst this was the Queen of Chaos herself, lying almost delicately amongst the utter ruin of the bed clothes. He rushed over to the prone form. "Ty?" He didn't know if he should touch her, and for that matter, where? He opted for the shoulder. "Ty?" His voice grew a bit more strident as no response was issued by the girl. "Come on, girl, answer me!" He kept hold on her shoulder and grasped her chin in his free hand.

Only to have Ty shriek in such agony her back arched up off the bed and her head reeled back from his grip, burying itself further into the mattress. Instantly her eyes were open and she shrank back from him with wide, frightful eyes and a hand over her mouth.

"Ty, for the love of Christ, what's the matter?" He pleaded.

Instead of telling him where to go, the usually fiery girl cowered back even farther from him. Shit. This was starting to worry him. "Ty, just talk to me. Please?"

Wordlessly she shook her head, her golden eyes wide with fear and pain. She tried to back even more into the corner, but wasn't getting anywhere.

This was really starting to freak Lane out. He slowly sat down on the opposite corner of the bed. He decided to take it slow and steady, as if he were trying to calm a fractious horse. "Okay, we'll just sit here then until you're ready to talk. Just remember, you called _me_ here, so obviously you need help somehow. I don't know how to help you if you won't talk, so I will just sit here. Hell, I have all night to spend in a pretty girl's bedroom." He arched a brow, hoping the hidden-compliment-turned-jibe would get her going.

Ty stared at him. Just why the Hell _did_ she call him? She couldn't remember how, oh yes, the accursed redial button. Ugh. Okay, if she were honest with herself, which this seems a pretty good time considering what's going on, she would admit that she wanted Lane here, not Bode. She felt Lane would understand better than Bode ever would. How she came to that conclusion in the past five minutes was a mystery to her. Looking at him now, he just sat there patiently, occasionally looking around the room, but mainly gazing at her with nothing but concern in those eyes. She took a deep breath and released her hold on her aching jaw, and dropped her hand.

Lane looked at her as she dropped her arm, her face looked the same, no cuts, nothing. What was the matter then? There! What was that sticking out of her upper lip? Was that…a…fang? "Ty?"

She smiled-or rather bared her teeth. There, four nice and pointy incisors. The bottom set barely reached above the normal tooth line, yet the upper set extended down just about midway on the bottom row. "Freaky, huh?" She laughed mirthlessly.

"Um…what happened?" Was all that Lane could ask.

Personally, Ty was surprised that he managed to sound as calm as he did, and he wasn't running for the door, an added plus. "Your guess is as good as mine. It just happened earlier this evening." She shook her head in rueful acceptance.

Lane noticed something, "Wait, Ty, lemme see something." His eyes narrowed as they scanned her face and focused on something just off her left shoulder.

"What?" Her eyes widened and she froze as he came closer, and her breathing sped up in two part mixture alarm, and the other she wasn't even going to _delve _into.

Carefully he buried his fingers into her hair and cupped the side of her face. Involuntarily she shivered and leaned into the caress and closed her eyes and enjoyed the simple contact.

"Hun," he drawled, his voice raspy yet tender, "you have pointed ears and cat-slitted eyes. Any idea how?"

Ty's eyes-the one's in question-flew open and she gripped his wrist in a surprisingly firm grasp. "What?"

Lane winced, "And claws too, it would seem."


	5. Chapter 5

The cavernous space of the room was pitch black as two forms kneeled under a spotlight. The voice floated down to them as if coming from above. The quiet but steady hum of machines was constant and could not be pinned down to any one specific spot.

"Did you retrieve the Wild Card?" The voice was feminine and saccharine sweet to the point of patronizing.

The female youkai spoke up hesitantly, "Um…no, Mistress. She would not come willingly…and…and…" she faltered.

The voice sobered and carried an edge. "Go on."

This time, the male youkai spoke up, but kept their gaze focused on the floor. "She fought us, milady. She overpowered us, and we were fighting her together!"

They could sense a malevolent smile enter her tone, "That is why she is known as the Wild Card." She paused, "You two disgust me—you are dismissed."

Together, the two backed up the required step then turned on heel and exited the room; yet stopped when her voice beckoned them again. "Hold."

"Yes, Lady Koushu?" They both questioned in unison.

"You know, I don't believe that the defeat you two suffered at the hands of our Wild Card was a good enough lesson." She mused. "Yes, I see it now. You two are to report to Dr. Nii in the lab. I'm sure he'll find _some_ use for your pitiful existence. Now, be gone."

The two youkai were so full of fear she could smell it from here. Excellent.

"Wild Card, 'Mother'" a solemn voice asked flatly, only insinuating the tiniest bit of sarcasm in to the name, turning it from an endearment, to a sneer.

"Yes, a most interesting development, Kougaiji." Lady Gyokumen Koushu's voice had that saccharine lilt once again.

"Interesting development? What do you mean?" Kou was still confused.

"Must I repeat myself constantly?" She snapped as irritation furrowed her brow. She swept an impatient hand back to gesture to the entrapped demon lord Gyumaoh. "The Wild Card is one of the by-blows of your esteemed father. That would make its ancestor a half sister to you, as it is, she would be your great—great—oh however many generations in 500 years-niece. There, do you understand now?"

"My niece, but why would she be special? The demon blood in her wouldn't amount to much, and how come I never knew about any of this!" Kougaiji glared at the Lady Koushu.

She smiled thinly. "You don't believe he was faithful to your mother, do you? Oh, Kougaiji, how utterly naive! It is a foolish notion indeed to think that the Great Lord Gyumaoh himself could be satisfied with just one woman. Besides the wench was of human birth, so it really doesn't matter, now does it? As to the demonic powers of the whelp, well, that is still unknown. However what I do know is that I will be the one to harness any of those powers, should there be any at all."

"I see." Kougaiji said tightly while turning on his heel.

"Oh, one more thing," Lady Gyokumen Koushu's voice lost all levity and became sharp as a razor. "There is something I need you to do, Kougaiji."

He turned back to her and inclined his head slightly; loathe to make even that small of a concession to the older woman. "Yes?"

The smile crept back into her tone. "I think it's time for a family reunion. You will bring the Wild Card to me. And don't drag your ass about it."

_Meanwhile_

Ty felt horrible. On top of this 'transformation' of hers, she went and hurt Lane. "There, that oughtta help you." She finished wrapping the gauze around his wrist.

"It will be fine. Don't worry about it." Lane flexed his hand to make sure the bandage held.

Ty caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror. Her slightly pointed ears were hidden by her hair, so that would be easy to hide, but her eyes, and hair…were they changing as well? She shook her head derisively. It must just be the light. But one could not deny the tiny—almost cute—fangs just winking out of her lips. Her eyes were slightly cat-slitted and one could only see that difference if they looked closely. She had also trimmed her claws back to look like normal human nails. She said softly, "No, I'm sorry, Lane."

"For what?" He asked, close to her, thanks to the limited space of the bathroom.

Ty was just noticing their proximity when she looked up at his face and added honestly. "For hurting you; for exposing you to…" she gestured uselessly to her face, "…this."

He caught her wrist in a vice like grip, "Hey, no worries. Besides," He drew her closer to him, "this new look kind of suits your personality."

Ty's eye's widened, "Hey now!" but she was cut off by Lane claiming her mouth with his own.

_'_Oh, I could get used to this.' Was her only thought as the kiss proceeded to go on and on and pretty soon she found her arms linked around his neck and her back pressed into the doorframe.

Suddenly Lane hissed and drew back, "Damn girl, you sure like to use those new found claws, doncha?"

Ty was still in a haze, "Claws? I just trimmed them, what the?" She looked down at her hands where her claws extended out over her fingertips. "How can that be?" She pushed away from Lane and walked back into her room, confused and a bit upset.

Ty, look at me. What's up? You're thinking about something." Lane followed after her.

"Yeah, so, is it a crime?" She snapped.

Lane stopped cold, "What?"

Ty was suddenly angry. She needed space, needed time to think this all out on her own, and she sensed she wasn't going to get it without a fight. "You heard me, Cordell. What does it matter to you if I'm thinking about something? What do you have to say about any of this in the first place? This is happening to me, Lane, _me_! Not to you, so if I seem a little broody that's fine, it just doesn't involve you. Get it?" She growled, eyes flashing and fists clenched.

"Ty hold on just a damn minute here!" Lane shouted back, then quieted again, "I have no idea what's come over you, but I am _not_ the enemy!"

"No," Ty conceded then added, "What you are is a nosy son of a bitch!" She felt static electricity arch up along her body and felt the hairs on her arms and back of her neck stand on end.

"Remember, Livingston, you called _me_ here in the first place. I didn't 'nose' around anything! He added in a dangerous tone of his own.

She stalked up to him, "Fine, spare me the technicality." She stabbed him in the chest with a finger so hard he backed up a step. "However, _you _kissed _me_, so automatically you think that grants access into all aspects of my life? I don't think so!" she shoved him and was very surprised to see Lane's form go flying across the room to hit the opposite wall so hard he broke the sheetrock straight through to the studs, which he hit with a sickening _thud_.

Instantly she was contrite. What had she been thinking, baiting him like that? None of this was his fault, and now he was hurt. It was not the time to play sympathetic now, so she did nothing. Just tersely said, "Sorry about that, Look, I'm gonna go. I need a drink." With that said she grabbed her jacket and headed out the door.

"Ugghhh…I need a medic." Lane groaned and picked himself painfully up out of the rubble that was Ty's bedroom wall. What was with her? She didn't even check to make sure he was okay? How'd all this happen to her in the first place? Lane shook his head, he was _not_ going to worry about it. He was going home and Miss High & Mighty could just do whatever the hell she wanted to. Lane wondered one thing as he drove home, was it just the light—or his concussion—that had made Ty's hair look like the shade of muddied blood? Must have been his head injury, perhaps a trip to the walk-in clinic would be in order. His chest hurt from where she shoved him, and his back hurt from the impact with the wall…that's just what he needed, a broken rib, or ten as it felt like.

Ty walked into the tavern. It was of average standing and was housed within a hotel so the chances of running into someone she knew were slim to none. She strode up to the bar and ordered a double whisky neat and sat there to contemplate her thoughts…or she could try to if the table behind her would shut up!

"SANNNZZOOOOO! Gojyo stole the last spring roll!" A voice complained.

"I did not, you stupid monkey—it was on _my _plate!" Another voice drawled in an undistinguishable accent.

"You stole it when I was looking for the tray of meat buns you said was out! Damn kappa!"

"Can I help it if you're stupid?"

"SHUT UP ASSHOLE! THAT WAS MY SPRING ROLL!"

"Did it have your name on it, chimp? No…that means its fair game!"

"It does NOT! It—"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!" A third voice shouted and even Ty cringed at this tone.

"It seems you both had better settle down, otherwise we'll have to pay for damages…yet again." A fourth voice cautioned.

"Or a funeral. Make that two." Voice #3 intoned gravely.

Ty's ears were straining at trying to listen to this byplay of lines and curses. She wanted to turn around and get a look at these four, but didn't dare. Suddenly, the flick of a Zippo near her right side brought her crashing out of eavesdrop mode.

"Hey there, Hon, how are you tonight?" The accented voice drawled next to her.

She turned to look and stopped cold when her gaze met a man she could only describe as beautiful. Long hair the color of blood cascaded down past his shoulders. A headband held the front out of his face, and a pair of intense crimson eyes stared at her just as intently as she was looking at him. Two jagged lines ran along his left cheekbone, but his mouth was turned in a lop-sided grin and he had cigarette in hand as he leaned nonchalantly against the bar. Ty gulped, it was one of those guys from the table! Aw shit, they had caught her listening in.

"Oi! Cat got your tongue, gorgeous?" The red head smiled cajolingly and leaned closer.

"Umm…fine. Yourself?" Ty replied finally.

"That's great to hear! So…what's a pretty girl like you doing in a dive like this, and sitting by herself no less?"

Ty blinked. Was it possible he didn't know about her eavesdropping? "Um…drinking." She said rather dumbly.

"My kind of girl!" The man exclaimed. He pulled out the stool next to hers and plopped onto it while signaling the bartender. "Hey! Barkeep! A round for me and my new friend!"

Ty's eyes were wide, just who were these people? She offered a faint smile as she accepted the drink the man she would soon know as Gojyo pressed into her hand.

A couple hours later, Ty was laughing at a story Gojyo told her of a time when the four of them got horse roped into a drinking contest…and Hakkai won, well, sort of.

Unexpectedly, Gojyo sobered up, "So is the reason you're drinking involve those bruises and cuts on your cheek, little demon girl?"

Ty's eyes widened and she choked on the smooth whisky, "What did you say?"

Gojyo flashed a smile and lit another cigarette. "Oh come on, the red hair, red eyes, cute little fangs. Yep, you could pass for my little sister! You're even going to have twin scars like mine! Though I'm glad you aren't my sister, for purely personal reasons, Babe." His meaning was quite clear.

Ty looked down into her drink, "I…"

"HEY GOJYO! WE'RE GOIN TO BED! HAVE FUN WITH YOUR LADY FRIEND!" Goku shouted out as he and the others headed for the stairs.

Gojyo glared and a tick made his eyebrow twitch, "Hey! Nice timing for ruining the mood, you STUPID FUCKING CHIMP!" He shouted back. As the sound of the 'stupid chimp's laughing faded, Gojyo turned back to Ty. "You were saying?"

Ty gulped the rest of her whiskey. "Well, I guess this 'condition' is a bit new to me…" she began to tell the tale of the past couple of days.

Gojyo was quiet for a moment after she had finished. "So you just recently transformed?"

"Yes, and my hair is brown, not red, Gojyo."

"Au contraire, look in the mirror right there, it's been staring you in the face the whole night." He gestured with his cig to the bar mirror.

Ty looked up, and gasped. Indeed, her hair was a shade darker than Gojyo's and her eyes…well…they looked like his, twin pools of blood. "How—when—huh?" She cautiously touched a strand of her hair to make sure it was real.

"Ah, the joys of being a half breed." Gojyo threw an arm across Ty's shoulders. "Welcome to the club, babe. Might I welcome you into the fold with a kiss?" Before she could tell him no, he was kissing her.

She allowed herself a moment to enjoy it, and then pushed the water sprite away. "Thanks, Gojyo, I think." She peered at her reflection again. "So, what do I do now?"

"I hate to admit it, and you damn well didn't hear it from me, but I think that damn holier-than-thou monk I travel with might have an answer." Gojyo grimaced as if the comment had made a bad taste in his mouth.

"You mean Sanzo would know what to do? Well, he's in bed now. I'll have to come back in the morning." Ty finished of the drink she had.

"You could stay the night, little one." Gojyo's tone and intent were blatantly obvious.

Ty would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't tempted, but a pair of sea green eyes and blond hair flashed in her mind's eye. She gave Gojyo her own crooked smile and decided to give him some of his own. "Little one? I'm probably the same age as you and not much smaller than your lanky ass. And believe me; if you were lucky enough to get me in bed, I doubt you'd be able to handle it. Aside from all else, why in heaven's name would I stay at a hotel, when I have a cozy apartment just down the road?" She arched an eyebrow and planted a hand on a hip.

"All right! Let's call it your place then? Let's go!" he grinned.

"Gojyo! What part of 'no' don't you understand?" She laughed.

"Well, I ain't letting you go home with _him_, that's for damn sure." Gojyo's tone had gone from playful to flat, guarded in a second.

Ty hadn't noticed. "With who? The place is deserted—oh" She followed his line of sight to where a tall man of medium build stood just inside the door. He had long red hair and serious indigo eyes. He was also dressed in black leather and sported numerous bracelets, and earrings. Looking closer, Ty saw pointed ears, the eyes, claws, he was a demon?

"Wild Card, it's time to come with me now." The voice was carefully controlled.

"Why hello, Kougaiji, nice to see you again." Gojyo maneuvered himself in front of Ty, protecting her.


	6. Chapter 6

"You missed me so much that you've decided to come calling. I'm flattered, really, I am, but you see, I'm with someone a helluva lot cuter than your sorry ass." From out of nowhere he called forth his shakujo to prove his point.

"I have no quarrel with you, Gojyo. I have only come to escort the Wild Card to my Mistress." Kougajii took a step from the door.

"Wild Card? You mean me. Why do you call me that?" Ty asked, puzzled, and a little touched because of Gojyo's action. She would normally fight her own battles, but how could she fight an enemy she didn't know with a body that was now alien to her?

"Gojyo…" A sleepy voice yawned and entered the barroom. "Do you feel that…KOUGAJII!" A suddenly awake Goku shouted. "What the HELL are YOU doing here?" He quickly had his nyoi-bo out and was by Gojyo's side in an instant.

"Dumbass, he wants to take Ty!" Gojyo replied, keeping his eyes on the youkai lord.

"Ty? Who's Ty? OUCH! THAT HURT ASSHOLE!" Goku shouted as Gojyo rapped him on the head with the staff of his shakujo.

"Ty is the very lovely woman standing behind us, shit for brains." Gojyo replied smartly.

Goku looked back and his eyes widened. "Gojyo, she looks like you! What's that all about? She's a demon too?"

Ty growled, "ARGH! Quit talking about me when I'm standing RIGHT HERE!" With that, she shoved Goku…hard.

Both Kougajii and Gojyo's eyes widened when they saw Goku go flying across the room. Ty simply turned and stood beside Gojyo. "Now, what do you want with me?" She snarled.

"Owwwww…that hurt, ya know." Goku came limping back to stand on the _opposite_ side of Gojyo. "She's as mean as Sanzo. What do you see in her anyway, roach head?"

Both Ty and Gojyo's eyes narrowed at the heretic. "Why…you little…"

"ENOUGH! Gentlemen, please allow me to escort Wild Card to my Mistress as ordered." Kougajii came forward only to see Gojyo and Goku step in front of Ty yet again.

"Like hell, I don't care if she's meaner than Sanzo, if she don't wanna go with you, we've got a problem." Goku gripped his nyoi-bo tighter.

Gojyo lit a cigarette and picked up his weapon as well. "For once, the little chimp and I agree on something."

"And who's meaner than I am?" a flat voice asked.

"Sanzo!" Goku exclaimed. "What are you doing up?"

"You three shitheads were making so much damn noise; I had no choice but to come see what the fuck you were up to."

"How dare you lump me in with the likes of Goku and Kougajii! I'm insulted by that!" Gojyo feigned outrage.

"I wasn't referring to Kougajii at all, just you two and your new whore." Sanzo lit a cigarette.

"W…h…ore?" Ty choked out. This guy has the balls to call her a whore? "Listen here…" She stalked to where Sanzo was standing in the doorway. "You don't know me, you pompous ASS! So I wouldn't label me just yet!" she fumed.

"God, you even act like the damn kappa." He sounded as if that revelation pained him and rubbed at his temple.

"HEY! Goddamn priest, quit insulting the lady…and me!" Gojyo took a step toward the monk.

"Oi! COCKROACH! QUIT MESSING WITH SANZO!" Goku shouted at the red head.

Kougajii just stared at the four who were snarling and bickering amongst each other…and completely ignoring him.

"My, my, it seems that there is a reason for the ruckus." A polite voice intoned beside the demon prince.

Kougajii jumped. How had Hakkai gotten so close without Kou realizing it? He tried to mask his surprise with indifference. "I see there's one member of the Sanzo Party who is smart enough to not underestimate me." He folded his arms in front of him and stared levelly at the human-turned-demon.

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far—those four are very aware of us right now—it just stands to reason that I ask, just why do you want Gojyo's friend anyway? What did you call her again?" Hakaryuu mewled from his perch on Hakkai's shoulder.

"You should know better than to ask questions to which you'll receive no answers. What I want with Wild Card is my own business. All I know is she needs to come with me." He pushed away from the doorway and began to walk over to where the quartet was still arguing. Rather, it was more of a trio, because Sanzo had pulled away and let Goku do his fighting.

Sanzo watched Kougajii approach and calmly lit another cigarette. "You're not taking the kappa's new plaything."

"I AM NOT THE KAPPA'S PLAYTHING!" Ty shouted at the asshole who was now ignoring her.

"So you don't want the peace and quiet that would come with me taking her away from you?" Kougajii reasoned.

"QUIT TALKING ABOUT ME AS IF I WASN'T HERE!" She rounded on the two who were calmly discussing her fate as if she were a prized mare. She swung at Kougajii and he blocked the punch, yet was sent sliding several feet back. Everyone was wide eyed as Ty stared at her fist dumbly. Then grinning evilly, she pivoted and prepared to strike at Sanzo, only to find the snub nose of his banishing gun staring right into her eyes.

"Try it—and you're dead." Sanzo said coldly.

Ty gulped and backed down. Sanzo lowered the gun and looked to Kougajii. "She's not going with you because that would be helping your cause, and that just pisses me off. Secondly, it seems the perverted kappa has taken an interest in her, so rather than having to track down the horny half breed when his toy goes missing, she'll stay here."

"I am _not_ a toy." Ty growled, reining in her temper.

"What you are is dead if you don't shut up!" he snarled back.

"Gee Gojyo, you're the only one that can usually piss Sanzo off that much." Goku mused.

"Gojyo—I do believe we've found your twin." Hakkai pointed out.

"Lucky for me we're not related." Gojyo remarked smugly.

Ty sighed. She did not come here for this. "Listen y'all, I'm going home. Y'all can fight this one out on your own." She grabbed her coat and stalked towards the door, yet stopped when she met Kougajii. "I'm not going with you. Now just go home." She said flatly. She had had enough of this shit.

Kougajii blinked. This little half breed niece of his as going to order him around? Like hell. "I must argue that. My orders were to bring you with me." He grabbed her arm.

"Kougajii, you bastard!" Gojyo snarled and went to take a step, yet Sanzo threw an arm out barring the kappa's way. "What the fuck? Damn priest, you just said she wasn't going with the shithead!"

"Just watch." Was all the monk said.

Ty calmly looked at the clawed hand holding her arm in a tight grip, then looked up at Kougajii with rage in those crimson depths. "Ya know, I've had it up to here with people telling me what to do! So FUCK OFF!" With that said, a chi aura built itself around her and when she shoved at Kou, a bold of red chi leapt from her hand and connected solidly with the demon, sending him flying out the door and into the building across the street. Ty calmly brushed off her shoulders and straightened. "Goodnight." She called out over her shoulder.

"Gojyo, go with her, make sure Kougajii doesn't follow her."


	7. Chapter 7

"Gojyo—go with her. Make sure Kougajii doesn't follow her." Sanzo ordered. 

"With pleasure." Gojyo smiled, dispelled his shakujo and called out as he loped through the door, "Oi! Ty, wait up! I know this kick-ass bar!"

Hakkai turned to Sanzo, "You really think that was wise, those two going off together?"

Sanzo looked at the brunette, "Definitely. That waste of space will drag that girl to every bar and club in town…anywhere _but_ her house. Hopefully, if that bastard did follow those two, he'll get sick of shots and strippers."

"I'm still puzzled as to why Kougajii was so reticent about taking her. He has the power, and the means to do it. Why even engage us at all?" Hakkai questioned.

"I think it's because he's not sure what power she has just yet. I'm willing to bet he'll just withdraw and regroup for the time being. As to why he just sat there whining like a bitch, who the hell knows?"

"Well, let's hope you are right, Sanzo. It will give us time to regroup ourselves and let us figure out what to do next." The demon mentioned.

"What do you mean, 'Kai?" Goku piped up.

"What he means is that we need to figure out just what Kougajii wants with Kappa #2." Sanzo replied tersely.

"Her name is Ty!" Goku added, proud that he could contribute to the conversation that had previously seemed to leave him out. "And I don't think she's a water sprite. She doesn't have antennae like Roach Boy!"

"Thanks for the brilliant observation, Monkey." Sanzo remarked sarcastically.

"I am NOT A MONKEY!"

Hakkai chuckled, "Let's go sit down and try to come up with what to do next."

Sanzo ground out his cigarette, "Fuck that, I'm going back to bed."

Meanwhile Ty was entertaining some very homicidal thoughts. They showcased a rather obnoxious half-breed who refused to let her go home.

"C'mon hun, let's go check out this place! They say they have live girls!" The blush of his drunken state graced the Kappa's cheekbones as he slung an arm around Ty's shoulders.

Ty growled deep in her throat. "For the last time, NO! Goddamn Kappa! I'm going home! You've dragged me to every bar and strip joint in a ten-block radius. Enough is enough!" She turned on her heel and began to stalk away.

Yet two strong arms wrapped around her and hauled her back up against a hard chest, and a low voice drawled near her ear. "I can't let you do that, gorgeous. Kougajii might be waiting for you there."

That was a possibility that she hadn't entertained. "How would he find my apartment?" She asked, allowing him to keep his hold on her on the sidewalk.

"How do you think he found you in the first place?" Gojyo nuzzled her neck.

"Gojyo, you're drunk. Please stop." Damn. Why did her voice sound breathy? She wasn't attracted to the fucking kappa, was she? Fucking kappa! Hmm…interesting visual. NO!

"Mmm….you know you like it." He murmured, nibbling at her earlobe, seeming to read her frazzled mind.

"Nice to see I'm not interrupting anything here." A harsh voice ground out.

Ty's eyes flew open, "Lane? What the hell are you doing here?" Sure enough, there was her mentor, standing just in front of her and Gojyo.

"What the hell am I doing here? Looking for you! But now I see I shouldn't have bothered. For fuck's sake, Ty, what the hell is going on? Who is that? And why does he have your same 'coloring'?"

"Who's this joker?" Gojyo drawled.

Ty replied as calmly as she could manage. This is a friend of mine, my mentor really; he is helping me with my membership in the Rodeo Club."

Gojyo's eyes lit up, "Need help learning how to ride bareback?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Despite the severity of the situation, Ty felt herself giggle. Her? Giggle? "Gojyo, not now." She attempted some shot at sobriety.

Lane was watching this all very intently. "I'm glad someone is finding some humor in the situation."

Ty took a breath. "Sha Gojyo, meet Lane Cordell. Lane, meet Gojyo." She introduced them, "Now, Gojyo, give me a few minutes, I can handle this." She stepped up to Lane when the half breed had moved a few paces off. "Gojyo and his friends back at the hotel are going to be helping me with this 'interesting development' my life has recently taken. If you wish to still be my friend, then please accept this and deal. I really don't have the time to calm your ruffled feathers at every corner. All I can say is just to go home and get some sleep. It's late—rather it's early—and I intend to do the same." She checked her watch true; dawn was only an hour or so away. "Gojyo, let's go."

"Go where, sugah?" He winked.

Ty yawned. "Home. You're my protector, ain't ya? Well, do your damn job; otherwise Sanzo will have a new target to practice on."

Lane grabbed her arm as she walked past him, "I don't think we're done talking here."

Ty was _really_ getting tired of people detaining her in the past 12 hours. She took a breath, and was interrupted in her start to berate Lane by Gojyo yelling to her.

"Yo! Babe! Let's get a move on!" He seemed nonchalant, but he was scanning the area for any activity, that and he didn't particularly want to see the human jackass go flying into the building across the street. Wait. If that happened…Ty and Gojyo, at her place. In bed. Very nice. "Never mind, take your time!" He called out.

"Just a sec, Goddamn kappa!" She called back and turned back to Lane hearing Gojyo mutter.

"Now even, _she's _calling me that?"

She focused a hard stare on the mentor. "Lane, its been a fucked up couple of days, specially in the past odd hours. While intellectually I understand how you feel, right now I just don't fuck care. I'm tired. I'm confused. And the _last_ thing I need right now is to hold your hand through it. You are my mentor for my attendance in the Rodeo Club. That's it. I will be in class. I will attend club functions. But for right now, I need that guy over there and his friend to help me figure out just what the hell is going on."

Lane glared down at her. "So that means shackin' up with the long-haired Fabio over there?" He jerked his chin in Gojyo's direction.

The half-breed swiveled his gaze over to the two, "Long-haired Fabio? What the fuck?"

Ty's eyes widened in surprise at the razor sharp tone of Lane's words, and the truth was they did cut. She was pissed, but yet she could understand where the dude was coming from. If she just saw the person she was kinda sorta interested in turn into something not quite human, she might just freak out as well. However, now was _not_ the time to pester her about it. She liked him, really she did, but he was just a little too claustrophobic and cloying for her right now. So she buried the hurt and anger and just said tersely. "Just go home, Cordell."

"You know what, I think I will. Go have fun with your new fuck buddy." He turned on his heel and strode off, leaving Ty feeling a riot of emotions, yet she let none of them show.

"What a remarkable fellow." Gojyo remarked dryly as he approached Ty, "Hey gorgeous, you okay?" He asked softly.

Ty sighed and swallowed the mysterious lump in her throat. "I'm fine. Let's go home."

As they walked to the pickup, Gojyo could tell she was _not_ fine. Her back was ramrod straight and she hardly spoke a word. She dragged her keys out and hit a button and the lights to her pickup flashed, the sight of which made Gojyo stop in his tracks.

'Well, that thing certainly puts Hakuryu to shame." He said.

Ty smirked, "Yeah, but this one doesn't transform." As she climbed up into the gunmetal gray behemoth she overheard Gojyo mutter.

"What the hell would it transform into? A goddamn elephant?"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N! This chappie is to fill in some of the blanks y'all may have over what's going on with Ty…and with the whole story of Ty, imagine it being told by the Merciful Goddess, and treat it as a frame tale, for those not an English major, treat it as a story within a story…and Lady Koushu is NOT telling this story, she basically told Kougaiji straight up the origin of Ty. That's why I wanted the Merciful Goddess to tell the story as an omniscient narrator. Well, because she is omniscient, I suppose…she IS a goddess after all… Anyhoo, on with the Fic!**

**Chapter 8: Crimson Bond**

Kougaiji watched them climb into the pickup and leave. He decided, upon picking himself up off the street,that he would give his little niece the night. She had surprised him with her strength. 'Wild Card, indeed.' He thought. Just where did she get that power? By genetic rights, she shouldn't have even a tenth of what she displayed tonight. And her coloring was of a full 50-50 mix. None of this made sense! As he turned and vanished into the night, he absently rubbed at his chest where her chi blast had landed, and still burned.

"I don't see her, Kougaiji." Lady Koushu's voice rang with disapproval and anger.

"I underestimated her strength. It will not happen again." Was all that he said. He would be damned if he would apologize to his father's concubine! The taste in his mouth was still sour from referring to her as his Mistress. He didn't even know what possessed him to even think of it that way; perhaps to justify the fact that he _didn't _know why the bitch wanted his niece. But he intended to find that out right now.

"Just what is it that you want with Ty?" He asked, bemused as to how the name slipped way too easily off his traitorous tongue. He was doing way too much of that recently.

"So her name is Ty now, is it?" Lady Koushu's eyes lit up with interest.

"What do you mean by, "now"? He fired back, confused by her question.

"Oh, Kougaiji, you really are ignorant, aren't you? Maybe if you had spent less time with your beloved _mother_, you would actually have a clue!" She chided malevolently.

Kougaiji bristled. The bitch really went too far some days. If only she didn't have the fate of his mother to hold over his head. _Then_ there would be a reckoning! "Perhaps if you would deign to inform me then?" He added mockingly.

Lady Koushu stared at him thoughtfully then dismissed the look with a wave of her hand. "Very well, after all it does pay to 'Know Thy Enemy'." When it looked as if he would reply to that, she held up a hand, "Silence! You wanted to know, so you shall. It began 500 years ago…"

INSERT MERCIFUL GODDESS' DULCET TONES HERE

_Reina Hamre was a simple human village girl of about twenty years. She was beautiful and kind to all. She had long chestnut hair and golden brown eyes, so naturally she drew the stares of the opposite gender human and demon alike. She was a peaceful girl and wanted nothing more than to find a husband and settle down in the quiet village where she grew up._

_However Gyumaoh's party came roaring and warring into her town and upon laying eyes upon the face of Reina, Gyumaoh decided he was to have her. There was nothing else for it, but to possess the brown haired beauty. Reina was afraid of the powerful youkai lord and she did her best to stay away from his camp._

_But her best was not good enough, for she was betrayed by the leaders of her village. They figured if Lord Gyumaoh had Reina, he would be appeased and leave their village in peace. So they conspired against her and set up an ambush consisting of some of the Youkai Officers in Gyumaoh's army who would bring the girl to the demon leader._

_The plan worked flawlessly and despite her struggles and fight, Reina found herself in the clutches of the Powerful Lord. To say she suffered in his hands would be a bit misleading, for while he was rough and painful in his mating with her, he actually treated her with an indifferent brand of courtesy and respect in between the violent couplings. He took her along with him on his war campaign, and eventually she ended up at Houtu Castle. All of the youkai soldiers would look upon her with open lust and desire in their eyes, but no one dared touch her, to do so would mean instant death at the hands of their leader._

_Soon, she found herself with child. She was a prisoner of sorts at Houtu Castle and often shared the same spaces with Ratsetsunyo, and his official concubine, Gyokumen Koushu. While Ratsetsunyo looked upon Reina with pity, Lady Koushu was overcome with bitterness and jealousy that a simple human girl could hold the attention of her powerful lord._

_As Reina neared her time, worry over the welfare and fate of her child grew. She realized she would need to leave the castle if her child, whom she loved even though it would be born heretic, had a decent chance of survival. So, she began making plans to leave secretly. But the opportunity would come quicker than she planned._

_The War God Crown Prince Nataku descended to earth in the aim to seal away the warmongering Gyumaoh and all of his family in order to save the balance of Shangri-la. In the chaos of the attack and following battle, Reina, with a newly born Sayuri, fled the castle and traveled for many miles in order to put as much distance between them and the life she'd had at Houtu Castle._

_A few weeks later, Reina found a village in which she deemed quiet and safe enough to stop her flight. She settled in this village called Seika and became part of the village. Sayuri was a strong, healthy babe, yet her red eyes and dark blood red shock of hair seemed to alienate both the baby and Reina. For everyone knew what a color combination like that meant. Even away from the horrors of Gyumaoh, Reina knew loneliness and separation, yet she had her 'small lily'. And life was peaceful for several weeks in that village, until another bombshell descended upon the pair. Nataku had tracked Reina's flight from the castle, and ran her down at this village. He calmly discussed his need to seal away Sayuri because she was of Gyumaoh's blood in order to protect the fragile balance of Shangri-la. _

_Reina begged and pleaded with the young deity to let her keep her child, but the War God could not be swayed. He promised her that young Sayuri would sleep peacefully, and he would seal her demonic side away as well as trap her in eternal sleep, so that she may never know her demonic powers should she ever be awakened. Feeling immensely sad and guilty over having to do this to an infant who had barely gotten to experience life, he created a shrine in a cave in the forest near the village so that she may come and visit whenever she wanted and to watch over little Sayuri's shrine.. Reina wept after Nataku had left, and she stayed by the shrine for a whole day and night._

_Reina watched that shrine diligently. Villagers remarked on the solemn young woman who would make a daily pilgrimage to the cave to leave trinkets for her daughter at the shrine's entrance. Time passed and Reina aged, yet never failed to make the daily trip. The villagers, who once looked askance at the mother/heretic pair, could not help but start to feel sympathetic for the now old woman who had loved her daughter so much that she forsook all else just to retain her vigil. When Reina finally passed away, the village decided to carry on the tradition, but instead of every day, they made it a yearly event on the date that Reina passed on. They buried her near the shrine's entrance with a simple marker that read:_

_Reina Hamre_

_"A mother's love knows no bounds"_

_But that isn't the end of this story, for the villagers protected the shrine that Reina once did. They let no one who wasn't from the area near the cave and soon the tales grew that some horrible monster lived in that cave. _

_There was one traveler that came back once a year and even though none of the villagers told this gentleman where to find the shrine, he went unerringly to the spot. He would stare at the cave as if he were trying to commit the thing to memory, lest he never see it again. He was a quiet soul, long hair wrapped up in a knot at the crown of his head. His slanted eyes at such a degree they gave the appearance of being shut, his clothes were simple, yet the townsfolk kept their distance because of the appearance of a shakra between his brows. No one dared oppose a god._

_Centuries later, a thick blanket of myth and forgotten truths surrounded the contents of that cave. It got to be village tradition among the youth to test their bravery by who could be the one to get the closest to the entrance of the cave/shrine. It was inevitable that something would happen, when young boys roughhouse._

_Just 24 short years ago, it happened. A small group of boys were testing their newfound manhood by braving the proximity of the shrine and in celebration they began wrestling—as boys are wont to do. One boy shoved another too hard, sending his small body colliding into the rocks near the mouth of the cave. It was there that he gashed open his arm on a shard of rock._

_The effect of the human-virgin blood on the divine seal was instantaneous. There was a bright white light that enveloped the whole clearing, and the wind rushed around the frightened boys as they fearfully clung to each other, their bravado vanished. With the wind roaring in their ears they watched as the few paper talismans of the shrine got ripped away and a groaning of the earth as it shook under them spurred the boys to flight away from the destruction that they themselves had unknowingly caused._

_Had the boys lingered they might have scoffed at the huge display for what happened next. Out of the cave crawled an infant with a shock of now brown hair and golden eyes. It calmly looked around as if it just woke up from a nap and looking for its mother. It crawled on through the woods calmly, occasionally whimpering a bit now and then until it came to a clearing. There the sun shone through the trees and the grass was warm and soft, and there the baby Sayuri daughter of Gyumaoh laid down and fell asleep._

_A couple who were out hiking that day came across the slumbering babe. They were American tourists of the area who lived in the big city out west and were just visiting the forest. Jace and Tawna Livingston asked about the baby in the village and when there were no parents to claim the infant, the childless couple decided to adopt her as their own, and Sayuri became Ty Livingston._

END MERCIFUL GODDESS' STORY HERE

Kougaiji's eyes widened, "You mean—she's my _sister_!" he asked, shocked.

Lady Koushu reveled in the look of surprise on Kougaiji's face. She loved knowing information others didn't. Too bad she couldn't have retained that origin of "Ty" a bit longer, however she needed to keep Kougaiji right where she had him: obedient and still in the dark about a lot of things. "Now you know—so now you can finally go and fulfill your orders. Bring her to me." She ordered firmly.

"You will get her, when I find her." He replied, however thought to himself, 'You will get Ty, or rather, Sayuri, when _I_ find out what you want with her. I too, have questions to be answered by my newfound sister.' He quickly strode from the throne room. It was time to find Yaone and Doukugakugi. He would need their help if he was to try and pry Sayuri from the Sanzo party's group.


	9. Chapter 9

_There was fire, smoke and screaming. Two figures battled incessantly among the chaos, each twisting around each other as if in an elaborate dance; a dance of death. The smoke dulled the edges of the scene and gave it a dream-like softness that desensitized the harsh reality of the situation. Two figures, one great, one small, but both equal in ferocity whirled around and suddenly rushed toward her viewpoint. She heard a harsh scream and felt the sensation of falling…_

"Ty!" A somewhat familiar voice drawled in concern.

She came awake with a start, panting and staring about the room looking for the two fierce warriors. When seeing the comforting walls of her bedroom she let out a shaky breath until she realized that she had been woken up by _someone, a_nd that someone would be staring at her curiously…"Gojyo?"

The red head smiled warmly, "Yes, gorgeous?"

"What are you doing in my bed?"

He feigned shock, "Why, you don't remember? You simply could not resist my charms! You attacked me the minute we got through the door and we barely made it to bed before you had your way with me." He leaned forward and brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes.

Ty snorted, "That, I find hard to believe."

"Why is that? I'm available, you're available…hey, it could happen." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Ty thought to herself, 'It most certainly could.' If there wasn't the complication called Lane that stood in her way. It was eerie that he would be following her around town all bloody night. Affection did not go to that extreme…stalking perhaps, but not genuine affection; perhaps a chat with the cowboy would help matters. And if that doesn't help, a good thorough ass-kicking would for sure. Well, it would help _her_ feel better at any rate.

"Hellooooo…anyone home?" Gojyo drawled.

She shook her head, "Huh? What?"

"Wow, and I thought the monkey was spacey…"

"Fuck off, kappa, and get the hell outa my room so I can shower and get dressed!" She shoved the half-breed off the bed.

"Hey! No one shoves me outa my bed, usually the ladies are clawin' to keep me in!" He cried indignantly.

"News Flash Gojyo, this is _my _bed, not yours!" Ty flounced to the door to the bathroom, "Now get your fine ass out of my room!" With that said, saucy grin in place, she slammed and locked the door to the bathroom.

Gojyo stared a bit dimly at the door to the bathroom, "Did she just call my ass fine?" He then broke into a huge grin, "And like that, I'm back in the game!"

Leisurely, he strolled into the living room pondering his new enigma. She seemed a bit hurt and down last night and when they had gotten back to her apartment. He could see by the level of disarray that she had had a rough time of it the past couple of days; the most obvious sign being the big fuck-off hole in her bedroom wall. He would bet his last pack of smokes that it had to do with that ass wipe of a human from last night. What was his name? Oh yeah, Lane. Ugh…talk about a banjo picker. That fella was bad news and Gojyo couldn't pinpoint it, but something didn't add up to square with Mr. Wonderful. He wanted to figure out what it was before it involved Ty.

He pondered as he meandered around her living room looking at the different things strewn around. Where the hell were these protective thoughts coming from in the first place? Ty didn't need protecting, society needed protecting from Ty. She was a force to be reckoned with and goddamnit it was exhilarating. She had handed Kougaiji's ass to him without even breaking a sweat and that was just hours into her 'new self'. She seemed so confident and ballsy, utterly at ease with her new status. Everything he had not been when he had realized what he was all those years ago.

'What the hell?' He muttered softly as he peered at a reflection of himself in Ty's Pantera cd case. Was that it? Was he drawn to her because she embodied everything he had ever hoped to be? Why the urge to protect her then? Was it to protect not just her, but the characteristics that were integral to her that he had desired to see in himself those years ago? Oh sure, he projected the image of a carefree rake that could handle everything that came his way, but deep down, there was the ghost of an insecure little boy that had brought his mother nothing but pain with just his existence. However, he had fought through his demons and continues to fight through them today. He knew that he has become a better man now and was no longer that powerless little runt. Only one person had seen _that_ Gojyo, and his brother wasn't one to spread tales.

"Gojyo?" Ty called out softly.

He snapped his head up and looked in her direction, instantly plastering a devil-may-care smile on his face, "You called, honey?"

"Ready to go see your friends?" She walked over to where he was standing and he got a whiff of a subtle fragrance of shampoo and a citrus shower gel. Tasty. She was wearing jeans and a gray baby doll t-shirt that showcased all the right curves and those mile-long legs. Her damp crimson hair was carelessly thrown into chopsticks at the back of her head and he had the irresistible urge to pull them out.

"Hello…anyone home?" She asked mischievously tossing his earlier words back at him and knocked on his temple.

He struggled to climb out of the bloody depths of eyes so like his own it was eerie. "Sure babe, for you, I'm always home." Oh, that was a lame line. He threw his arm over her shoulders in attempt to cover up his crappy joke…and to subtly cop a feel. "Let's hit the road, I need a shower and some food. I hope for once that damn prissy monk knows what to do." He took it as a small sign of affection she didn't beat the shit outa him for that 'accidental' brushing of his hand. He sniggered to himself.

Walking into the café side of the tavern/hotel where last night's tumultuous events were still fresh in her mind, Ty spotted the distinctive forms of Hakkai, Sanzo, and who could miss Goku, who was now perusing the menu intently as if he were trying to disarm a bomb and not trying to choose what he wanted for breakfast. Sanzo was reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee and Hakkai was planning the shopping list.

Hakkai looked up and smiled warmly, "Well good morning you two. Did you guys have a nice night?"

Gojyo grabbed a chair and sighed dramatically as he turned it around and straddled it, "Hakkai, my friend, you have no _idea_ how good my night was. If only I were able to tell you."

That got Goku's attention, the menu now forgotten at the promise of a good story, "Why can't ya tell us? Didja get in a fight and get your wimpy kappa ass kicked?" Goku snickered at the prospect.

"No, you little shit; we didn't get into a fight! I can't tell because stupid little monkeys shouldn't hear about making love to a beautiful woman…"

"EWWWWWWWWWW ! You're so GROSS!" Goku yelled.

"Spare me." Sanzo muttered.

Ty's jaw dropped for a split second before she clenched it and towered over Gojyo with eyes flashing ruby bright. "What kind of lies are you trying to tell kappa?"

Undeterred, Gojyo elbowed Hakkai playfully, "Isn't it so cute, she's so bashful!" he joked, not knowing there was a menacing shadow descending over him.

Goku calmly ducked close to the table and continued to read the menu as the red-headed kappa streaked over his head to connect with the opposite wall.

Ty sat down in the chair that Gojyo had so recently vacated and made a grab for the coffee carafe; only to have a harisen come whistling out of nowhere to connect with the back of her head. "What the FUCK was that for, dickhead!" She looked at the monk who was now putting the fan away, while she absently rubbed her head.

"Pay for your own goddamn coffee. I don't want to catch whatever you may have gotten from the bastard." Sanzo said calmly.

"Hey I heard that, you self-righteous asshole! I will be glad to share I am disease free!" Gojyo declared.

"Gee, that makes me sleep easier at night. Your whore is still not getting any of my coffee."

"I WANT MEATBUNS!" Goku crowed exultantly, and distracted the half-breed kappa from the argument at hand.

Gojyo growled, "You stupid little shit, you always want meatbuns, why you even _look_ at the menu is beyond me!" He palmed the top of Goku's head, pushed down and mussed up the kid's hair.

"PISS OFF WATER SPRITE! I gotta see what each place has!" He shrugged Gojyo's hand off and shoved at the longhaired demon.

Ty looked on as the two bickered and fought, still seething over the priest's comment. She glanced over at Hakkai who seemed to be counting to himself.

"3…2…1…"

**BANG**! A gunshot echoed in the empty establishment.

Ty ducked and looked around wildly only to have her eyes land on Sanzo who was calmly putting his gun away, the argument now forgotten between the heretic and the half-breed.

"So were you going to talk or what?" Sanzo demanded.

Ty looked at the impassive monk. "Any topic that would interest His Holier-than-Thou Ass?" She quirked an eyebrow as if to say, 'If you want to throw attitude I can too.' Sanzo just looked unimpressed and went back to his paper.

"Have it your way." He paged through the business section.

Ty just glared at the monk, then sighed and began to tell the tale she told Gojyo the night before. She matched Sanzo mood for mood, keeping things terse and succinct.

Sanzo just kept drinking his coffee as Hakkai pondered the situation while Gojyo picked mercilessly on the monkey. They were ignored for the most part by the other three at the table.

"So, do you suppose that Kougaiji wants Ty for the resurrection project of Gyumaoh?" Hakkai questioned.

Sanzo lit up a cigarette and waited a moment. "It's possible. Either way we keep her away from him, and I guess he can't use her for whatever purpose he needs her for."

"You know, for a monk, that was a pretty stupid sentence. Don't they give you guys an education in those temples or what?" Gojyo needled Sanzo.

"You want to die?" Sanzo coldly informed the half-breed.

"Guys! Please! Holy shit, this would get old!" Ty spat out. She looked at her watch and groaned. "I gotta get to class. So, y'all have a good day." She stood up and started stalking for the door. Sanzo's voice stopped her cold.

"Gojyo, go with her. Learn something useful while you're there."

Ty just looked at the thorn in her side, albeit a _cute_ thorn in her side, but a thorn none-the-less. "C'mon, I'm gonna be late as it is."

Later that day...

Gojyo looked around the busy campus with avid interest. "Talk about potential…" he said softly while scanning the sorority girls.

Ty looked over her shoulder, "You say somethin?"

"Nothing," he grinned, "Well, at any rate, it looks like you're stuck with me yet again, babe." He sidled up to her to throw his arm across her shoulders in what she was beginning to identify as his signature move. She calmly shrugged his arm off.

"Whatever, it's just because you're ballast."

Gojyo frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

Ty sighed, "It means that Hakkai couldn't come with me because it looks like he's the 'mommy' of your little group, Goku may be the age of a college student in numbers, but he's nowhere near the maturity level to portray one, and there's no way in seven hells Sanzo would play babysitter to a mistake like me.

"Just because you've got red hair and eyes does _not_ make you a mistake." Gojyo said quietly, all humor now lost.

"Ty! What the hell is goin on? A male voice called out, preventing a response from her.

Immediately Gojyo had Ty tucked safely behind him as he scanned the quad for the guy.

Ty looked over Gojyo's shoulder—it galled her that she had to tiptoe it—and spotted Bode. "Bode? Holy shit it's been a few days!" She slipped around Gojyo to give her friend a hug.

Bode set her back away from him and took in her new appearance. "I almost didn't recognize you! Nice wig and contacts, but where is the costume party?"

Ty just laughed and shook her head, "No, they're not fake, these are the real deal…they changed."

Bode lost some of his humor, "What do you mean they changed?" He edged back some

Ty became confused, "That's why I've been gone the past day or so. I was at home and this change came over me and now I'm…" She gestured to herself.

"…a heretic." Bode finished flatly.

"A what?" Ty quirked an eyebrow in question.

Gojyo watched sadly as the friendship died in the kid's eyes. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"You're taboo; a half-breed borne of a forbidden liaison between humans and demons." Bode now sneered in disgust.

Ty took a step back as the harsh words cut into her. She was still trying to grasp what exactly was going on. "So? What does that matter? I'm still the same me! C'mon Bode, it's me!" She took a step back toward the black haired human.

He sprang back in revulsion. "Stay back demon! No, your kind is worse than a full blooded demon. At least they can claim full heritage to _something_." He spat at the ground at Ty's feet.

Ty felt tears burn her eyes but she'd be damned if she would spill them in front of this 'fair-weather friend'. Silently Gojyo came up and hugged Ty around the waist and she found herself leaning on his shoulder.

Gojyo's eyes glittered dangerously. "You've made your point, _friend_. I think you've done enough for today."

Bode just now acknowledged Gojyo's presence, and took in his red hair and eyes. "So you're another half-breed. 'Birds of a feather', huh, Ty? It certainly didn't take you long to go slummin'"

"That's enough, asshole." Gojyo growled. He had felt Ty's flinch at the kid's words.

"I agree with you, it is enough. I've wasted too much time on the likes of you two. And to think I actually liked you Ty. I wanted to ask you out, but now with your 'true colors' showing, I'm glad I didn't."

"I mean it kid, get lost." Gojyo summoned his shakujou, unaware that a crowd was now forming. Whispers of 'half-breeds' and "heretics" and "disgrace" floated among the mass.

Ty glanced around and took in everyone's faces. Few held compassion and sympathy, but the majority had several shades of disgust and contempt. They were sneering and edging in to eagerly see what would happen.

"Just like a mongrel to resort to violence. I'm unarmed, what are you going to do, attack me?"

Ty felt all of her pain coalesce into something else. Something dangerous. Rage. Slowly she pushed away from Gojyo and took a step beside him.

"Babe?" He questioned softly.

Ty silently held a hand up to silence the kappa. She had eyes only for her former friend. She brought her hand out in front of her and held it palm up. She released her anger and it appeared in the form of a bright red chi-ball. The crowd gasped and edged back.

Bode's eyes widened in fear. Ty saw this and while her heart was breaking over the lost friendship, she fed the pain into the fire of her anger. "You would be afraid wouldn't you? It's funny, all those speeches you spouted about not judging people sure are ringing hollow right about now, ain't they?" She laughed humorlessly.

"Ty…I…" Bode sputtered uselessly.

Now she snarled, "You what? You wish your 'friend' would show some mercy now that it seems that the 'mongrel' has some power over you?" She dispelled the ball of energy, "Well you have it. Your kind just isn't worth it; and by that I don't mean the human race, I mean sniveling, judgmental hypocrites like you."

She walked up to Gojyo and she sounded very tired to him when she just stated, "Let's go."

The crowd parted for the two half-breeds and as they walked through, they still could hear the murmurs of 'heretics' and 'filth' float over the assorted mumblings of the crowd. Each word felt like a lash on the back of one whom up until recently would have been proud to call herself a member of the human race.

Gojyo struggled to keep up with Ty, whose angry strides were long and quick. "Damnit! Wait up, Ty!"

She stopped cold in her tracks, "What?" Her back was ramrod straight—a sign Gojyo was beginning to recognize that meant she was upset.

Inanely Gojyo struggled for something to talk about, anything to distract her from the ugly thoughts that were no doubt swimming through her head. "Uhh…" Damn! Why was this so hard to do now? Usually lines came to him naturally and the one time he needed this talent and it deserts him. Figures. "So…what class do you have next?"

"None, I'm done for the day. Fridays are my short days. I'm headed over to Sheppard Arena to go to my Rodeo Club meeting." 'Where Lane would be' she finished to herself, however she said nothing to Gojyo on that matter.

Inside the arena, the stares and whispers were the same as back at the quad and Ty wondered to herself how Gojyo had managed to put up with it all these years! She was really to lash out at anyone or anything. She couldn't help it—why couldn't people understand that? Bode's defection hurt though—if one that had been that close to her felt like that; did that mean that perfect strangers were ready to lynch her? She shook her head in dismissal at her wayward thoughts and took her seat on the bleachers well away from the crowd. Despite the distance, people still edged away from her and Gojyo.

"What's that smell?" Gojyo wrinkled his nose.

"Wood chips and manure." Ty responded flatly and gestured to the arena where the dirt floor was covered with both.

"Don't you have to, I dunno, clean up after your pet?" The half-breed complained.

"I don't know, do you?" Ty queried with a smirk.

"Hey! The monkey is not MY pet! Talk to the monk and leave me outa that pairing!" Gojyo replied, feeling a little reassured at Ty's jesting, but she still looked upset.

The rapping of a gavel brought their attention to the meeting. Lane stood at the podium calling the gathering to order. Ty gazed at him and couldn't help but notice how hot he looked in wrangler jeans.

"Oh…if it isn't Mr. Wonderful." Gojyo muttered.

"What was that?" Ty eyed him dangerously.

"Nothing!" Gojyo gulped and laughed disarmingly.

"Thought so." Ty muttered and grinned.

"Excuse me, but would you like to share with the group?" Lane called out.

It took a minute to realize that Lane was talking to them. Ty felt herself bristle. "We'd rather not, thank you."

"Well then please remain quiet so we can discuss important club issues…"

Gojyo snickered, "like what, how much shit they can shovel?"

"…for _members only._" Lane looked pointedly at Gojyo.

Ty intercepted it and shot back, "New member, here's his dues," and dug in her pocket for five bucks, walked up to the podium and slapped it down.

Gojyo was scratching his head and muttering, "Did I miss something?"

Ty narrowed her eyes, "Shouldn't I get 'good behavior' points for bringing in a new recruit?" She asked acidly.

"Depends on whether or not he's a valid member or not." Lane replied smugly.

Ty furrowed her brow. "Just what in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means if he's willing to contribute to the club in a constructive way—he'll be recognized as a valid member." Lane looked down at Ty with an intense glint to his gaze.

The crowd avidly watched in interest as the two played out this drama. Gojyo was bemused as to what was going on. He felt the auras in the room change and noticed how Hakkai, Goku and even the damn monk filed into the back of the arena. Goku spotted him and waved enthusiastically and Gojyo swiped his hand in front of his throat in the silent gesture to cut it out! The kid was gonna blow his cover!

Ty was oblivious to the addition to the crowd and planted a hand on her hip. "A constructive way? That's horseshit, Lane! You know as well as I that most of these 'members' are in name only because it looks good on a freakin transcript!"

"That's irrelevant. The by-laws for the club have been revamped in the past week and those members have been grandfathered in to the new protocol. New members only must take the competency challenge." Lane smiled with triumphant malice.

Ty's eyes widened, "Oh…so you're going to be a douche about this, huh? Fine." She said quietly then turned to the crowd. "Gojyo! Come down here!"

Sanzo, Hakkai, and Goku all watched with interest.

"Oh my, Gojyo's never really been around livestock before." Hakkai commented.

"Aside from those long lonely nights without a woman." Sanzo quipped.

Goku blinked, "What does _that_ have to do with…on that's just NASTY!"

"Shut the hell up, Monkey, I want to see this." Sanzo threatened.

Gojyo got up to the front of the bleachers and looked back at the forty-odd people gathered there. Shit, some of these girls were hot! And they were giving him serious 'fuck-me' eyes…sweet—

"Gojyo!" Ty snapped.

"Huh, yeah, babe?" he threw on a lopsided grin.

Lane leveled a look at Ty, "Some protector you have there. He's too busy looking at other girls to even pay attention to you."

Ty looked up at Lane and could tell beneath the scathing tone there was true concern. Her brow furrowed, why would this guy be concerned for her? Her supposed long-standing friend had turned on her when faced with her true self, and this near stranger wanted to help? "I think I'll manage." She responded noncommittally.

That same sentiment went for Gojyo as well, she realized. Why did he and his friends wish to help her? She came to the revelation that she knew next to nothing about these four guys. She didn't know why they were passing through her town, or why they were traveling at all. Also, how did a rude and violent man end up a high-ranking Buddhist monk? And what was the story behind Gojyo's parents aside from the obvious tale?

"Ty, are you listening?" Lane asked.

"She spaces out regularly," Gojyo added in a familiar tone, "She keeps thinking about what we did last—oof!" A well aimed elbow by Ty knocked the wind outa him.

"Gojyo! Shut the hell up!" Ty snapped. She gave a wide fake smile to Lane, "He's a compulsive liar."

She then turned to Gojyo again and poked him in the ribs as he struggled to get his wind back, "Be quiet, and be nice! He's the one that is going to pick your task to get into this damn club!" She hissed under her breath.

Gojyo leaned down and wheezed, "And _why_ do I want to do that again?"

Ty blinked. "Good question."

Up in the bleachers the three were watching with interest. "I should have brought popcorn, this is turning out to be quite entertaining." Hakkai laughed.

"POPCORN! Watching the kappa make an ass of himself is making me hungry!" Goku chirped.

"Can it!" Sanzo snarled, "I need to see how the dumbass will get through this one."

"I don't think it's going to be graceful at any rate." Hakkai commented.


	10. Chapter 10

**ONE HOUR AND MUCH ANTISEPTIC LATER…**

"Ow…ow…OW! You damn prick, you don't have to wrench on it!" Gojyo complained.

Hakkai laughed and just kept wrapping the gauze around the red-head's skinned arm. "Well, one has to make sure pressure is applied to stop the bleeding. And if you would quit squirming I wouldn't 'accidentally' wrap it too tight."

Goku crowed at that one. "That was too funny, water sprite. You should do it again!" They were sitting in the First Aid area of the arena and Gojyo was on the bench, Hakkai was tending him, Goku was leaning on his nyoi-bo and Ty was straddling the only chair. Sanzo was leaning against the medicine cabinet smoking a cigarette.

"Another comment like that, chimp, and Hakkai'll be wrapping you in gauze next!" Gojyo declared.

"How did you manage to get attacked by that little pigmy goat again?" Hakkai laughed.

Ty joined in, "Yeah, I've never seen a grown man get his ass kicked that bad by a goat. Also, goat tying is a _woman's_ event in rodeo, god forbid what would have happened had you gotten steer wrestling instead!"

"Personally, I found it to be quite entertaining." Sanzo exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"You would, you bastard." Gojyo grumbled. "I swear that prick, Lane, fixed it! He gave me a rabid goat, and it infected the horse too!

She couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. She heard Gojyo mutter something about traitors but she was too busy holding her stomach as she fought to breathe. "Yeah, he made the horse crow hop, then buck you off to go sailing then to land on the goat. He _then _caused the goat to attack you. Oh yeah, I can totally see where you're coming from now." She added in mock seriousness, and then buckled over as a fresh round of laughter overtook her and the other three.

"Shut the hell up! It's not funny! Ow! Damnit, isn't there any sympathy for me?" Gojyo whined.

Goku snorted in mid-laugh, "My sympathy is for the goat for having your fat ass land on 'im!" That sent them all to laughing again.

"That's it you little fuckstick!" Gojyo leapt for Goku who danced nimbly away.

"Oh well, it seems he's not hurt as bad as he led us to believe, and on the bright side, he is in the club now." Hakkai mentioned as a distractingly shirtless Gojyo chased a laughing and taunting Goku around the room. Ty had eyes only for the flex and play of tanned muscles of Gojyo's back as he fought to catch the monkey.

Six softly, yet firmly, spoken words stopped all of them cold.

"Too bad it was all for nothing." Sanzo lit up a cigarette.

Ty snapped her head up to lock gazes with the priest. Just what the hell was all this about now?

Gojyo gave voice to her thoughts, "What do you mean, monk?"

"I mean it was pointless for you even to try and join the damn club in the first place."

"I'm afraid I don't follow you, Sanzo." Hakkai's brows furrowed in thought.

"Yeah, what's goin on, Sanzo?" Goku questioned, his round golden eyes panning from Ty to his master.

"It means that we need to continue heading west, and we are going to do just that." He responded coldly.

"But," Hakkai asked, "what of Ty? Are we supposed to just leave her for Kougaiji?" His voice was neutral yet there was an undertone of steel behind it.

Ty saw the tension develop instantly among the four, and wanted to disarm it, "Look guys, I'm all right—"

"I couldn't give a fuck what happens to Ty." Sanzo replied flatly as if she had never spoken.

Her eyes widened. That hurt! Yeah, so he hardly knew her, but damn!

"Well, I do!" Gojyo stood up to the monk. "I'm not gonna let a pretty lady down now. We can't just leave her behind." He came to stand beside her.

"Yeah! That would just be mean!" Goku piped up.

Sanzo growled, "You bastards didn't let me finish. While I personally couldn't give a fuck what happens to her, I can't allow her to fall into Kougaiji's hands. And as much as it pisses me off, she's gonna have to come with us."

"YAY! Ty's comin' with us!" Goku sing-songed around the room.

"Sounds like monkey-boy has a crush! Stay back, runt, she's mine!" Gojyo pushed Goku's shoulder.

"EWWW! I do not! pervy kappa, I like Ty cuz she kicked Kougaiji's ass! That was awesome!" Goku beamed a smile at Ty.

She was staring blankly at the scene. "Don't I get a say in this?" She suddenly felt very lost.

Hakkai walked up to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I'm afraid not. There is wisdom to what Sanzo says. We can't let you fall into the wrong hands."

"I'll kill you before I let that happen." Sanzo replied indifferently.

Ty knew beyond a doubt that he meant every word. How she knew, that was the mystery. "Oh." Was all she said. Talk about a helluva day! She pasted a smile on her face. "When are we leaving?"

"In the morning, so get packed then meet us in the café at dawn. Gojyo, you'll continue to accompany her just to cover our asses." Sanzo replied.

Ty just nodded. Dawn. Great. Yipee. "Well, I suppose I had better head home then, you coming, hop-along-catastrophe?"

"I do believe she means you, Gojyo." Hakkai commented.

"That was cute, gorgeous. I'll let it pass for now." He muttered and threw on his white shirt and grabbed his leather jacket.

**Meanwhile…**

Listening around the corner, he heard their plans. Shit! That asshole monk was going to take her. He had been banking on the prick refusing to help Ty. Then he would swoop in and grab her for his Mistress. Well, this would certainly put a fine wrinkle in his plans.

"Hey! How's it goin?" A group of Rodeo club members walked by. He nodded and waved, yet saw that Ty and her motley crew were coming! He straightened and made to look like he was rounding the corner with the gang.

Ty looked up as she met a group of people rounding the corner as she made her way out of the arena. Most were members of the club. She didn't care about any of them. She just wanted to be gone from that place. Thanks to fate, which seemed to love shitting on her at any given occasion, she now had to pull up roots from the only home she'd known for the past several years. Her stride increased and before she knew it, she had hooked on to Gojyo's arm and was pretty much towing him behind her.

Gojyo allowed her to drag him out of the arena before he put the brakes on. "Hold on just a damn second!"

Ty stopped and let go of his arm. She stared up at him blankly. "Sorry."

He peered intently at her. There was something buggin her. Well, aside from the obvious of her having to leave her home, but he wanted her to tell him. Also, he wanted to cheer her up. "So, you gonna tell me what's eatin' at ya?" he asked.

She looked up at him, "What makes you think anything's wrong?" She turned sharply in the direction of the lot where her truck was parked.

Instantly, he was on her tail, "Because your back is straight."

She flicked her gaze back then forward again. "Yeah—what does that have to do with it?"

"Annndd…you're clipping your responses, sugar." He drawled on persistently.

"Gee…you know so much." She snapped. She _was_ upset so the retard had that much right. What worried her was; was she really that easy to read? She hoped not. With the future as uncertain as it looked, she wanted to play her cards close to the chest as it were. She sighed. She had so much to take care of. "How long do you think I'll be gone?"

"That babe, I don't know—a while?" Gojyo answered honestly.

Ty just nodded. There would have to be arrangements made. So much for a degree, several years of school down the shitter. Great. Not to mention storage for her pickup, notice on her apartment. She sighed again.

Gojyo just kept watching the emotions play across her face…she looked so…despondent. He just couldn't have that! Even if he had made an ass of himself with the rodeo thing, and Lane had gotten that limelight, he would do what he did best: woo the ladies…er…one lady in particular. "Well, I say we go out and have a drink to celebrate the new addition to the road trip west!" He clapped her on the back.

"Or to mourn the death of my college career and chance to make something of myself." Ty mumbled.

Gojyo heard that comment and filed it away under "Things best discussed when drunk" so the truth would spill out of her. Dirty, yes. Underhanded, very. But he was not above dirty pool to get what he wanted. And what he wanted was to get to know this beautiful stranger. It was odd, because he was a love 'em and leave 'em type of guy, and he wasn't going to change his stripes anytime soon, but he was going to satisfy his curiosity over this dame. "Well, are we gonna just stand here or get to drinking?" He grabbed a hold of her hand and started towing _her_ towards the pickup. "Quit draggin ass lady, and let's go!"

Ty felt herself smile even though she still felt crummy. Perhaps a road trip with this guy and his friends _wouldn't_ be the end of the world she was making it out to be. "First off to the apartment to grab some shit and then we'll just head back to the hotel and drink from there. I am assuming that you have a room there, Gojyo?" She arched an eyebrow in his direction.

He felt himself tingle with anticipation, "Yeah, what about it?" His grin turned saucy as she sauntered closer to him. They were at the truck by now and she crowded him against its buffed and gleaming side. She placed one hand on one side of him and reached up to briefly caress a lock of crimson hair. He felt his pulse jump. Her eyes, they were mesmerizing! He couldn't look away from the sultry half-lidded look she was giving him. Aw shit, this was in the bag! She wanted him bad, and he had no qualms about it. He grinned and leaned down to get closer to that mouth that she was tipping up to his to…

"So you won't mind giving your bed to me and sleeping in the lobby?" She asked in a breathy tone.

"Sure, babe, for you…wait, what?" Gojyo blinked as she backed off. Just what was going on?

Ty laughed, god, she hadn't done that sort of thing in years! "You man-whores are all the same! Bat my eyes, breathe a little heavier and wham! You're putty in my hands!" She unlocked the pickup, climbed in, and rolled down the passenger window and called, "C'mon Gojyo, pick your jaw off the ground and get in the truck!"

Gojyo had no choice but to snap his mouth shut, and figure it out in the pickup. She was still laughing to herself, damnit. How did she play him so well on that one? He was a pro at the ways of women, and this scrap of a half-breed swept the feet right out from under him? "What do you mean by man-whore?" He questioned.

She snorted and looked at him, "Oh, come on, Gojyo. You are a man-whore! You think you're god's gift to women and that's all there is to it!" She downshifted to pull up at a stoplight.

"I do not! I can't help it if women are attracted to me!" He added indignantly.

"You see right there is the man-whore mentality!" She crowed triumphantly.

"You're just pulling this all outa your ass!" He muttered sulkily.

"Nope, hard earned experience dealing with your kind has made me wise." She added saucily.

"Oh I see." Gojyo mumbled. She seemed rather harsh about all this. "I would have to disagree with you, my dear." Gojyo rebutted. "I do not believe I am 'the gods' gift to women' as you so crudely put it. I just prefer female companionship to those jackasses I have to travel with. The monkey is enough to drive anyone mad, Hakkai is so attentive he's smothering at times, and well, that damn monk is going to take my head off with that fucking gun of his someday soon. You'll soon find that out because you're going to be in that backseat right next to me and the monkey!"

Ty grumbled as she pulled into her apartment, "Oh goodie, I can't wait."

Inside her place, she chose the critical things that she wanted with and mentally said goodbye to all of the stuff she would have to leave behind. When she came out with only one duffel bag, Gojyo gave her a look. "What?" She asked.

"Is that all you're going to bring?" Gojyo took the bag from her and put it in the backseat of the pickup and climbed in.

Ty was quick to follow, "I'm a light packer. I only bring what I need." She responded simply.

"I can see that. So, we gonna go drink now or what?" Gojyo grinned.

"Bring it on!" She grinned right back at him as they headed over to the hotel.

Gojyo took that opportunity to start to worm his way into the inner workings of Ty. "And because I love to be around women, I have gotten to notice things about them."

She shifted gears, "Oh yeah, and what are those brilliant observations?"

"You've been burned in the past." He said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, so has everyone else at some point in time or another." Ty said flippantly.

"You've been burned by a so-called man-whore, as you would term it." Gojyo continued.

Ty's smile faltered just a bit, she then rallied with a comeback, "Gosh, doesn't the psychoanalysis come _after_ the booze?"

Gojyo persisted, "And now you're avoiding the issue, but it's okay, I'll let it go for now. But you will talk to me about it sooner or later."

"When pigs fly…" Ty said under her breath and pulled into a parking spot at the hotel. "You're still giving me your bed." She shot at him as they got out.

"And you're only getting it with me in it." He countered back, letting her keep her muttered comment to herself. No need to inform her about is advanced sense of hearing. That was a tool better kept to himself for right now, who knows what kind of gold he could strike with it.

Ty thought to herself that it wasn't that bad of a deal. A bed and a hot guy, not too shabby, but that guy was starting to get under her skin, and she didn't know if she liked it or not. This situation was proving to be interesting, to say the least.

Inside the hotel, she buzzed straight to the bar, and found Sanzo. "Great. Not you."

"Where's the water sprite? He's supposed to be with you at all times." Sanzo sipped some sake.

"For your information, you prick of a monk; he's right behind her doing his job." Gojyo came through the doorway. "Your bag is up in my room." He reassured Ty by placing a hand at the small of her back and gently propelling her towards the bar, and Sanzo. "The baldy monk doesn't bite…"

"But he does shoot." Sanzo retorted coldly.

"Come now, I know you're an asshole, and even Ty is learning this, but is that any way to treat our newest addition?" Gojyo replied.

"Gojyo, it's okay. The man doesn't like me. That's fine. At least I can be the grown up and treat him civilly even if I couldn't give a fuck what happens to him." Ty threw his words back at him. She sat on a barstool a ways down from the blonde priest and ordered Jameson on the rocks.

"That's being civil?" Sanzo questioned. He sipped some more sake with narrowed eyes.

"For me, it is." Ty smiled wide and knocked back her whiskey.

Gojyo sat between the two and drank beer. He was enjoying watching the monk get some of what the bastard had been givin' for years now.

Sanzo just poured another hit of the clear liquor. "Fair enough." He swallowed it and stood up. "Just don't get too high and mighty, you're expendable in my eyes. In fact, if Kougaiji wants you that bad, it might be the best course." He turned and walked out of the bar.

Ty's eyes were wide from the verbal dart, however they soon narrowed. "That damn monk! Acting all 'holier-than-thou' and threatening me! Just who the hell does he think he is? Buddha? For fuck's sake!" She ranted, all the while tossing back another whiskey.

Gojyo watched, knowing that this wasn't just about Sanzo being a jackass. This was about the day in general. He grinned and signaled the bartender over for the bottle of Jameson with two shot glasses. "Well, _Wild Card_, time to put your money where your beautiful mouth is!" He poured them each a shot, "So, know of any good drinking games?"

Ty smirked back, "Yeah, it's called 'Thunder Fucked." she got up and went to the jukebox in the corner, "Yes! They have it!" She put a few coins in the slot and went and sat back down with Gojyo. She then took her shot glass, held it aloft and said simply, "The rules are quite simple, every time Brian Johnson sings 'Thunderstruck' you take a shot or a drink"

Gojyo's smile kind of faltered, "Well that's no fun…"

Ty grinned wider, "Have you ever heard this song, Gojyo?"

"No, why?"

The first of many "thunderstrucks" was emitted, Ty took her shot and refilled her glass, 'Well, you'll see."

A FEW MINUTES LATER…

The last notes of the song ended and Gojyo and Ty were hiccupping. She started laughing uncontrollably as he looked wide-eyed at her, "Now I can see…we're fucked!"

"That we are, m'boy!" She threw her beer can away and reached for the whiskey again. "That's why I switched to beer for the shots…but still, it's gonna hit us soon."

"I'm just glad I followed your lead on the switch-a-roo…otherwise I may not be any good tonight." Gojyo grinned saucily.

Ty looked around the vacant bar, "I don't see any hussies around here, aww…no whores for Gojyo to impress!" She chortled.

"Well that's good, babe, 'cuz I'm saving myself for you." He glanced in her direction.

"Pfft…whatever, kappa, jus' keep hic drinkin!" She grabbed the bottle.

**_A/N: "Thunder Fucked" is an extremely hard game to play, because in the AC/DC song "Thunderstruck" the lead singer (Brian Johnson) says that word 31 times! That's a LOT of alchy! So what kind of shenanigans will the two half-breeds get into next? Tune in next week! (Yes, that was corny, but I am going insane from a long night at work! )_**


	11. Chapter 11

_She dreamed again that night. She dreamed of a woman with long brown hair and golden eyes that would sing softly and rock her back and forth. She never felt safer than when she was in the smiling presence of this woman. A lullaby with a hauntingly poignant melody looped subtly throughout the vision._

_She was in a field of grass ringed with trees. She looked around and crawled through the green sea only to be swooped up in someone's arms and tossed high in the air to be caught by that smiling woman's hands. She giggled and cooed as the woman nuzzled their noses together, laughing…_

Ty smiled in her sleep and stretched languidly, then grimaced as reality and the mother of all hangovers crashed into her cranium. "Owww….gods!" she hissed in pain. She looked over to see Gojyo stretched out beside her and they were both on top of the covers. Oh yeah, Gojyo and her had drank half the bar out last night…ugh…this morning. She blinked blearily at the clock, shit! It was six-o'clock…the guys wanted to leave at dawn; they had to move before…

"HEY WATER SPRITE! TIME TO WAKE THE HELL UP! AW SHIT, TY'S IN HERE!" Goku stopped in mid-step into the room he had so rudely entered.

A low growl came from the mop of mussed hair on the pillow, "How many times do I have to tell you, stupid monkey, knock on the fucking door first!" Gojyo hissed while holding his head as he slowly sat up.

Goku was looking from Ty to Gojyo and began to ramble. "Well, Sanzo told me to get you up and that he was complaining that Ty wasn't up yet, but there wasn't a room registered under her name…but now we know she was here, and he told me to yell as loud as I could to get you up…"

"Monkey. Quit. Talking. Now." Gojyo stood up and stretched. "Go tell His Majesty we are up and ready to go. Now leave, runt."

Goku glared at the kappa, "Fine! You don't have to be so mean about it, you dirty cockroach!" He spun on his heels and left.

"Ahh…a moment's peace, now to the matter at hand, aspirin…where's my fucking aspirin?"

"That wasn't very nice of you, treating him like Sanzo would. And why is it I've woken up every morning next to you with a hangover since I met you?" She asked, and realized it had only been a couple days since she met the four men. She chastised herself, talk about being impulsive! However, since her friends were now turning their backs on her, who else did she have? "Mom and Dad sure won't understand…" She murmured.

Gojyo looked up from rummaging in his bag at that comment. "The runt only responds to Sanzo-phrased commands, and that's not the point. You and your parents, are you guys close?" He asked softly.

"Umm, well yeah, for the most part," She got up to gather her things and headed towards the bathroom. "I never really connected with them though. Something always held me back."

Gojyo's eyes furrowed, "What do you mean, connected?" Unbidden images from his own dysfunctional childhood surfaced to the forefront of his mind.

Ty looked out the window, "They are not my biological parents. They adopted me from a village east of here. They told me the name…I can't remember off the top of my head. Santo? No, Senka? That's not it either. Oh well. I'll think of it later. All I meant by that comment was I never felt like I was one of them." She looked down at her clawed hand which held a lock of her red hair in it. "Now I am beginning to know why." She shut the door softly behind her with a click, and Gojyo just stared at the closed door in thought.

Soon enough, however, they were packed up and on the road. Things were going relatively well, though Gojyo was still concerned over Ty's quiet demeanor. It could be she was fighting off the hangover from the night before, but between the two of them, they finished off that emergency bottle of aspirin he'd stashed for just such an occasion. So he couldn't chalk up her silence to the Altar of the Hangover just yet. He was sure that whatever that something that was bothering her yesterday was carrying over into today.

Ty was thinking fondly of her super-duty pickup sitting in storage, her cozy apartment, and even her roommate, Alana. All the facets of her life as she knew it, she had to say goodbye to. Even going out for fifty-cent tap night with her friends at Southgate Tavern on Wednesday nights was now a thing of the past. She resisted the urge to look behind her as her life as she knew it faded into the distance; she turned her head instead to look to her future on the horizon. Silently she squared her shoulders and glared in the face of uncertainty. Well, glare as much as one could when she was flanked by two bickering demons.

"You damn cockroach! QUIT HITTING ME!" Goku yelled.

"I'm tellin ya—it wasn't me—it was Ty!" Gojyo sniggered.

"Like hell! Ty wouldn't do that! Would you?" Goku cast wide golden eyes up at her.

She sighed and crossed her arms in front of her. "Of course not. Now Gojyo, quit acting like an ass!"

"I'm not acting like an ass!" Gojyo whined.

"Yes. You. Are." Sanzo backed Ty up, to which she blinked, wide eyed.

"Well I wouldn't have to act like that if the monkey wouldn't egg me on!"

"Egg YOU on? That's it water sprite! Let's go!"

"Oh yeah, shithead? You ready to get your ass handed to ya?"

"Blow me, kappa, you couldn't do that in your dreams!"

"Why you little—"

Ty swiped irritably at her hair that was whipping around her head. "For fuck's sake, SHUT THE HELL UP!" She shouted over the two who were now standing over her glaring sparks at each other.

The two stopped, turned their gazes to Ty who glared at them balefully.

Goku was the first to relent and fold himself back into the seat. "Sorry Ty." He mumbled, somewhat unhappily.

Gojyo in turn continued to stand. "You are going to tell me what to do, woman?" There was a challenge glinting in his eyes and a roguish grin playing at his lips.

Ty's eyes narrowed. Did he seriously think that would improve her mood? She shrugged. "Have it your way." She used his precarious center of gravity on the moving vehicle and grabbed his legs and threw Gojyo over her shoulder…and…off…the jeep.

"Goddamnit, now we have to double back and pick the bastard up!" Sanzo growled.

"Just leave him there." Ty mentioned caustically.

Goku looked to Ty at that one. Hakkai even glanced back in concern. Something was bugging her and the fact that she was emulating Sanzo and his brusqueness was a big indicator. He didn't say anything at the moment, just merely stopped the jeep so Gojyo could catch up.

Sanzo sighed. Why did the woman do that? Now they would hear nothing but the damn kappa's bitching about how mistreated he was. Gods. He rubbed at his temple where yet another migraine was starting to take root. Fucking wonderful.

To Sanzo's surprise, Gojyo said not one word. He climbed into the back seat and stared out sullenly.

Hakkai continued to drive, but occasionally flicked a concerned gaze to the now silent back seat. Perhaps he should have a chat with their new passenger. He admitted that he hadn't said much at all to her. It was eerie, she reminded him of Gojyo and that was with her coloring aside. She possessed such bravado, when anyone who was looking closely enough could see the softy under the hard shell.

"About fucking time we get some peace and quiet." Sanzo fished out the last cigarette in the pack and crushed the box.

"Fuck off, monk." Gojyo spat back.

"Don't give them any ideas, Sanzo, I've just been enjoying the quiet!" Hakkai laughed, but continued to ponder in his head.

She also had Sanzo's temper and coldness at times, which was frightening. Two Sanzos in one jeep! But all mirth aside, there was something else about her demonic aura. Something unusual and strangely familiar, yet he couldn't place it right now. All he knew was because of that peculiarity she was with them. It had to be something significant enough to have Sanzo bring her along, and he knew his friend wouldn't stop until he found out why Kougaiji wanted her so badly.

It was getting dusky when they decided to stop for the night. Each of the guys had their chores. Goku went to find firewood, Gojyo was fighting and cussing with the tent, Hakkai was preparing dinner and Sanzo was-well-supervising. Ty looked around uselessly, "What can I do?" She asked no one in particular.

Hakkai looked up, "If you wouldn't mind, Miss Livingston, would you fetch some water?" He smiled gently.

"Uh. Okay. And Hakkai, its Ty." She looked around for the pail, spotted it and went in search for the stream.

She wandered through the woods deep in thought. It's funny how she had ended up here. Part of her was disappointed that all her schooling had been for naught. Oh, she knew she could finish up at any time, but it would be harder to go back once she was out of the routine.

Another part of her was glad she was free from that place. Seeing new things, people and places. She had never really fit in there. Sure it was college, and there are many different people there, but she always felt like she was on the outside looking in. Much like home, she thought. At home she was always the odd one out and didn't really feel close to any of her family. Her parents were fine, but the thought that lingered in the back of her mind always reminded her that they were _not_ her parents.

"Ugh…whatever. Who knows, maybe I'll never go back there." She muttered irritably.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" A voice asked.

Ty jumped in alarm and snapped her head up to look around. "Who—oh, it's you, Goku." She silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who else would it be? A grizzly?" Goku laughed, then sobered. "I was makin enough noise for you to hear me. You musta been thinkin pretty hard." He came up to her with an armful of wood.

"Yeah, I guess I was." They were at the small stream and Ty dipped her bucket in and sampled the crisp clear water herself.

"So, what were you thinkin about?" He sat down next to her on a large rock.

"I dunno, a lot of things; work, school, my family, this trip and why I am even on it." She stared up at the deepening twilight.

"Oh." Goku was strangely quiet.

Ty glanced down and saw his somber look. She decided to take a page from Gojyo's book, "Yo mon-"

"I am NOT a mon-" he interrupted.

"Sorry 'bout yellin at you earlier. I had a fierce headache."

"—key! Oh. That? That's all right. Sanzo yells at us to be quiet all the time an' it doesn't bother me. I mean, its his way of showin he cares, even though he doesn't want us to realize it, y'know?" Goku smiled gently. "But having headaches is no fun. You should really talk to 'Kai on that. Why did you have a headache, anyway?"

"It's because everything is so _loud!_" Ty sighed.

Goku blinked. "Loud? What's loud?"

Ty spread her hands wide, "Everything! The crickets, frogs, trees, even our voices seem louder than usual, and I know I'm not raising the volume of mine."

"Trees?" Goku muttered, thinking. His eyes brightened "Ohh, I get it now! You said you haven't been like this your whole life?" He gestured to her hair.

"No, this just recently happened a few days ago, why?" She looked at him quizzically.

"Well, you're half demon now, right? Well that means you have some demon traits now." He smiled.

"De—mon traits?" She still wasn't getting it.

"Shit, you're as slow as the kappa sometimes!" Goku laughed, then apologetically waved his hands in front of him, "I'm joking, okay! What I am trying to say is that I think the reason everything is so loud is because you're _hearing_ more stuff!"

Ty blinked.

Goku laughed. "Wow, you're really not getting it! Well, 'Kai can explain everything better than me, but here's how it works. Humans can't hear, smell, see, things as well as a demon –well Sanzo can do most of those things, but I dunno why, but anyway now that you're part demon you should be able to hear an' see an' smell better than you did as just a human!" Goku leaned back, proud with his explanation.

Ty let it sink in. "Okay, I think I get it. So how do we test this theory?"

Goku bit his lip in thought, "Umm…well…" He sniffed then grinned. "Well, tell me, what do you smell right now?"

Ty sniffed the air, "I smell the water in the stream, grass, the campfire, and food?" She looked to Goku for clarification.

"K, that's a good start, but what kinda food? What else?"

"Umm…smells like the beginnings of beef stew? I smell some other stuff too—but I don't know—wait—cigarettes and beer? But the camp is too far away for me to smell that…"

"As a human, yeah, but you're catchin on as a demon. Yep, Hakkai's makin stew an Gojyo and Sanzo are smoking and drinking and can you smell them as well?"

"Them?"

Goku smacked his forehead, "Them! Everyone has a distinct smell. Now see if you can smell them!"

She scented the air as a hound would. "I smell—ah hell—all I smell are the cigs and beer and that's it." She slumped her shoulders in defeat.

Goku came up to lay a hand on her shoulder, "Hey it's okay. You did good for your first try."

Ty looked up at him, "Thanks, Goku."

Goku just laughed, "You worry too much! That was nothing, like I said Hakkai can teach you better than I can. But there is something you should do." He sobered as he plopped next you her.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" She asked.

"You should talk to Gojyo—appologize for throwing him off the jeep." He looked into the trees. "I mean, do what you want, but I can tell he's upset. He gets quiet and pulls away from everyone."

Ty sighed, "I was going to do that anyway, Goku, but your earnest plea sealed it. I will go talk to him, however I should get this water back to Hakkai."

"That's okay, I have the firewood back over here. I'm sure the kindling they're using is getting low. So I'll walk back with ya."


	12. Chapter 12

Ty walked back to the campsite alongside Goku. She was quiet, too deep in thought to really start any conversation, Goku seemed to sense this and decided to leave her to her solitude.

"Ahh, just in time, guys!" Hakkai smiled and took the pail of water from Ty as Goku stoked the fire and set the extra wood off to the side of the campsite. "Hey, 'Kai, are you gonna make your awesome biscuits?" He asked eagerly, coming up to sit beside Ty by the fire.

Hakkai chuckled, "Yes, in fact, I was waiting for the water to start them. The stew is simmering so it won't be too long before dinner is ready. Ty, you can just relax and do what you want. The rest of the guys here are used to camping out, so they know the drill."

"Yeah, it sucks ass! Man, why couldn't we have found a town to stay in?" Gojyo complained.

"Because, Idiot, we had to stop and wait for _someone_ to catch up to the jeep." Sanzo remarked as he cracked a beer.

"Goddamnit! That wasn't my fault, you jackass! Ty's the one that threw me off—yell at her!" Gojyo ranted irritably at the priest.

"She threw you because you were acting like a fucking moron!" Sanzo growled.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Ty shouted over the top of them.

The two looked to her and glared. Goku and Hakkai said nothing. Hakkai continued to monitor Ty's reactions and aura. She shouldn't be _this_ upset. So she threw Gojyo off the jeep. He didn't blame her for that. The half-breed could be a little hard to tolerate at times. No, something more specific was bothering her. "Ty, I have an idea. Why don't you go take some time and clean up? It gets awfully dusty in the jeep."

"You're not letting her get out of this that easy!" Gojyo railed at Hakkai then turned to Ty, "Why did you throw me over?"

Hakkai caught Gojyo's gaze over top of Ty's head. He leveled a look at Gojyo; it was the 'Don't Give Me a Reason to Happily Blast Your Dumb Ass' look, and followed it with a polite smile.

Gojyo interpreted it and gulped. "On second thought go clean up. I'll talk to you later." He lit up a cigarette.

It seemed like she had no choice. She grabbed her bag and headed back down to the stream feeling as if she yet again, was on the outside looking in.

When she had left Gojyo flicked a gaze over to Hakkai, "What the hell was with that look, man?"

Hakkai looked to the other three, Goku was staring at the stew, yet Hakkai knew he was listening intently. Gojyo crossed his arms in front of his chest and arched an eyebrow at him, and Sanzo looked bored.

"I could as you about the same thing." Hakki commented, "You've been rather brusque with her, Gojyo, not your usual charming self."

"She fucking THREW ME OFF THE JEEP!" Gojyo insisted, "She's obviously off her rocker!" He was sounding wounded and indignant and didn't like it at all.

"She did it because she had a headache and your pervy ass was trying to act all cool and shit!" Goku jumped fiercely into the argument in Ty's defense.

You _do_ have crush on her, Monkey Boy!" Gojyo threw his empty beer can at the heretic.

"Quit saying that!" Goku growled and swiped at the beer can, knocking it off to the side.

"Why?" Gojyo mocked, "You guys sure looked chummy walking back here."

"GOD you're dumb!" Goku looked heavenward, "She needed help adjusting to her demonic powers, I was helping her." He snarled.

Hakkai watched the argument with interest. Gojyo was upset and insanely jealous and didn't know how to deal with it, and Goku was sticking up for Ty, meaning the younger man must have gotten to know and like her.

There was also that bit about Ty adjusting to her 'demonic powers'. That could explain the reason behind her odd behavior. The other day when they chatted she wasn't nearly as temperamental as she was today.

"Oh she did huh?" Gojyo sneered, "Did you give her a thorough going over?" He snapped crudely.

"You dirty, sick son of a—" Goku growled savagely,

"That's ENOUGH! Gojyo, shut the hell up right now, and that goes for you too, Goku." Sanzo snarled.

"Pfft—whatever, I am going for a walk." Gojyo stalked off.

"Stupid water sprite." Goku muttered.

Sanzo really didn't comment further and Hakkai looked in the direction of the stream. It had been a while and she should hopefully be done by now. "Goku, watch the food please, I'm going to speak with Ty."

Sanzo looked up at that and met Hakkai's gaze, nodding once subtly.

"Okay, but hurry back, this smells too good to wait for you guys!" He grinned.

As Hakkai walked into the trees, Sanzo was receiving some very happy signals from the monkey; whatever, the boy was strange.

* * *

Hakkai carefully made his way into the woods. He wasn't trying to sneak up on her, he just wanted to giver her as much time to herself as he could, and to observe. Also, he didn't relish walking in on her while she happened to be bathing. That was just rude, although, he was male and the thought of walking in on a nude Ty—NO! Gods, he must be hanging around with Gojyo a bit much lately.

He neared the stream and he heard not splashing, but rustling in the bushes. What in the world? He instinctively ducked down as a figure leapt over his head. He had a bolt of chi ready to fly until he saw, "Ty?"

The figure stood on a low tree branch panting slightly, "Hey Hakkai." She jumped down and came to him as he dispelled his chi.

"You gave me quite a start. Just what were you doing?"

She looked around, "I'm practicing."

Hakkai followed her gaze, "It's all right, I'm the only one here, so you won't receive any teasing. It's actually why I came out here."

"Really?" Ty quirked en eyebrow at him.

"Yeah," He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, "Goku said you were having some difficulty with your new abilities?"

"Yeah, I guess I am trying to figure out what all I can do now that I am like this."

"I know what you mean." Hakkai said softly, "Because I used to be human as well."

"You're shittin' me." Ty asked, wide-eyed.

"No, I am not. It all started several years ago…" Hakkai told her of his story and where he met Gojyo, Sanzo, and Goku. "And so, I know a little of where you're coming from and going through, because I've had to do it myself." He laughed, "Of course I had to go shopping for some limiters first, you're lucky in that regard."

Ty was sitting on the ground with her back to a tree and legs splayed out with one bent and her arm resting on it. Hakkai was sitting against an opposite tree looking back at her. He caught her blank look and realized she was confused. "There weren't many demons in your town, was there?" He asked softly.

"No, none. I have never run into one in that town, just humans."

"Or demons you took for humans." He countered.

"How could I make that mistake?"

"Well, use me for instance. Do I look like a demon?" He questioned.

"No…"

"Can you detect my aura as a demon?" He prodded.

"Aura?"

Hakkai sighed. She truly had been sheltered. "Everyone has an aura that makes them who they are. An intangible fingerprint, if you will. Aspects of your aura are handed down through your parents and ancestors and instilled in your genes. For demons, it's a bit different, more potent if you will. Only other demons and some humans—Sanzo is one—can detect their auras when other demons are about. Yours for instance…"

"What about mine?" Ty asked, curious.

"Yours is eerily familiar. I keep trying to wrack my brain to try and figure it out, but it just keeps slipping away. I just know I have run into someone who has a similar aura."

"At least you have an idea…" She mumbled.

Hakkai got up and sat down next to her, "Excuse me?"

She looked up at him and defiantly challenged. "I don't know who my true parents are!"

"I see." Hakkai said softly, refusing to give into that tone she used. She was getting defensive and was trying to pick a fight. "Gojyo had commented that you were adopted. That's interesting, are you close with your adoptive parents?"

Ty sighed, "Not really. I've always felt like the odd one out." She stared out into the deepening twilight.

Hakkai felt her retreating into herself and didn't want that to happen. "How did you learn how to use chi?" He asked, diverting from the obviously sore subject.

"Chi?" She looked back to him, "Is that what it's called? I mean, when I shoved Kougaiji?" She also thought of her display when she confronted Bode.

"Yes, I have spent a while trying to perfect it, yet your energy wave is a bit different than mine. Possibly because you are drawing more yang due to the fact that you are a female." His brows furrowed in thought.

"Yet again I'm different?" She laughed self-depreciatingly.

Hakkai chuckled uncertainly, "Well, you are a bit of an enigma."

Ty found herself smiling, "Oh well, being normal, that would just be boring."

Hakkai laughed, "I think you have the right of it, my dear."

"So you say that you've perfected the art of chi?" Ty asked.

"Well, for the most part, but I wouldn't say perfected, I've gotten comfortable with using it."

Ty got up and looked down at him, 'Well, what are we waiting for?"

Now it was Hakkai's turn to be confused, "We?"

She grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet, "You're going to teach me about this chi-crap."

The dark haired demon winced at her word usage. "Yes, well, this may be—"

Ty could not be swayed, however, "Nonsense! I can't have you guys bailing me out all the time. Well, not that Sanzo would, he would happily cap my ass if he had the opportunity." Ty realized she was babbling, but she was excited. She was a fighter by nature and leapt at any opportunity to learn a new technique.

"All right. I suppose it would be better than having you accidentally blast us all."

* * *

Gojyo wandered around the woods. He was still pissed at the whole group. They were taking _her_ side when he was the wronged one here! He walked slouched with his hands in his pockets, cigarette hanging forgotten out of his mouth. Oh sure, if he admitted--only to himself mind you--he supposed he had been rather annoying. So it wasn't like she just clouted him over for the hell of it. Wait-he wasn't ready to be done being mad at her! She had closed herself off from him and that pissed him off, because how was he supposed to find out more about her if she wouldn't even look at him? Besides, it was damaging to his reputation if a female ignored him, he couldn't have that. He sighed, maybe he was what Ty would label a 'man-whore' after a comment like that.

He kicked randomly at a pebble when the hairs on his neck stood straight on end. He stopped and became instantly alert. This usually only happened when Hakkai was pulling some serious chi. What the hell? Gojyo grinned to himself, was 'chi-blasted demon' on the menu for tonight before dinner? He summoned his shakujou and crashed through the brush; he'd been spoiling for a fight so that demon had better be...

...Ty summoning energy? He skidded to a stop at the picture in front of him about 40 feet. Ty was in a cross-legged position with Hakkai's knees touching hers-mirroring her position. Their palms entertwined in between them and they gazed steadily into each other's eyes. Fucking great, now Hakkai was hittin on her? He loudly cleared his throat and rattled the chain on his weapon before dispelling it. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Hakkai looked up, startled at the noise, "Oh, Gojyo! I didn't hear you approach."


	13. Chapter 13

Gojyo sneered, "Yeah, I can see that you're busy." He heard the jealousy in his voice and became even more incensed at himself.

Hakkai just arched an eyebrow. "Well, we were having a very productive meditation session. Ty seems almost a natural at mastering her chi-that-is-not-chi." He chuckled disarmingly.

Gojyo sneaked a glance at Ty and saw that she was giving him a '_why the hell are you acting like an asshole_' look. He thanked the gods it was dark so they couldn't see the flush on his cheekbones from embarrassment and a residue from his anger. He swallowed back a biting comment and forced himself to think it through. This was Hakkai! Gojyo knew better than most the devotion that the man had to his lost love, Kanan. That bond spanned through this life and into the next and nothing could sway the youkai from it. No, Gojyo thought rationally, Hakkai was not interested in Ty romantically. He was interested in instructing her to fully develop her powers. That would be all. Strangely, once Gojyo quit thinking with the testosterone and reasoned it all out, it made sense and he felt great relief. He shook his head and smiled self-depreciatingly.

"Everything all right there, chief?" Ty looked at the half-breed quizzically.

"I'm fine now, gorgeous." He grinned roguishly and looked back at Hakkai.

The dark-haired man gave Gojyo a silent assessing look as if to ask, '_are you sure everything is on the level_?'

Gojyo nodded imperceptibly and Hakkai silently breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, if that is the case, I had better go see to the stew and make sure Goku didn't eat all of it." He turned to walk back towards camp; "Gojyo would you be so kind as to escort Ty back to camp?" He didn't wait for an answer, just melted into the darkness as Ty voiced her objections.

"Wait! Hakkai! Aw damn, now I'm stuck with Mr. PMS." She muttered as she realized the dark haired demon was gone. Her shoulders slumped as she began to walk towards camp.

"Wait up babe." Gojyo beseeched.

"Why?" She turned back questioningly.

"Aw, hell," He raked his hair back from his face, "you're not gonna make it easy for me, are you?"

"What _are_ you talking about, Gojyo?" She turned fully toward him.

"I'm just trying to say…" His voice started out soft yet dropped off abruptly as he stared over her shoulder towards the western direction of where the camp was. He clamped a hand on her shoulder almost painfully.

Ty gasped with the suddeness of it, "Gojyo! What the hell…"

"Shut up." He hissed.

His demeanor caused wariness-something akin to fear-to flood into hers. She didn't say anything more because something was going on and he needed her quiet.

The rattle of a chain as his shakujou appeared suddenly by her side in his free hand convinced her something _big_ was going on.

"Goddamn assassins." Gojyo muttered under his breath.

'Assassins? What the fuck?' She thought confusedly before Gojyo let out another growl and shoved her behind him as a menacing cackle rent the air.

Ty looked around trying to place the sound, and looked up to Gojyo where he had his gazed focused on that same spot west of where the camp lay. "Gojyo, what are you looking at?"

He didn't take his eyes off the target, "The four demons standing in the trees, can't you feel them? Hakkai must have taught you that much." He kept his tone neutral.

"He just mentioned this whole aura thing…I dunno." She whispered urgently, now hearing things crashing through the underbrush.

"Well sweetheart, you're gonna get a crash course in demon fighting!" Gojyo grinned and gripped his weapon as the four demons came into the clearing.

"They're ugly." Ty wrinkled her nose.

Gojyo bust out laughing, "Yes, they are."

The demons that had appeared looked to be a throw back to an 80's hair band gone bad. They had a variety of swords, clubs, and a mace? Ty realized that she still stood behind Gojyo and stepped out to stand beside him instead.

"Well, well, well, looks like the Sanzo Party has a new half-breed camp whore."

Ty bristled and took a step forward only to be stopped by the staff of Gojyo's shakujou. She looked up at him and saw the intense look in his eyes and a subtle shake of his head. He had looked similar when Kougaiji had tried to take her. He never took his eyes off the enemy as he summoned an indulgent grin and winked at the demons. "Nuh-uh, this one is all mine. I don't like to share."

The lead demon growled, "Well you won't have to share her, she'll be ours when you're dead!?" He charged at Gojyo.

"Same old clichés," Gojyo muttered as his shakujou took the brunt of a slash from the demon's sword. "You think Kougaiji would teach you to come up with better," he parried with an attack of his own with blades flashing in the moonlight, "battle cries!"

Ty looked over at the dueling pair, "Kougaiji?" Suddenly one of the rough hewn demons was in front of her. He raised his club high and without thinking, Ty sought that quiet zone that Hakkai had just recently showed her—it was kind of hard when she was holding the guy's club arm up.

"Ha! Got ya now, bitch!" His arm came down a notch.

And in Ty's other hand erupted a bolt of her red energy. Whatever Hakkai had said it was, blew a melon sized hole in the chest of the youkai's. She dropped the wasted husk that was still smoking to the ground at her feet.

She grinned in satisfaction and looked over to where Gojyo was fighting the other three—he hadn't even looked? God! Here she was kicking some ass thanks to him and his buddy Hakkai, and the jackass didn't see it? She snorted and began to stalk off towards the half-wit half breed when two clawed hands grabbed her from behind.

"Not so fast, girly!" A rough voice growled in her ear.

"Gojyo!" Ty shouted once before a sharp pain in her head caused her to see black.

* * *

"Ty?" Gojyo twisted in his stance to see a new, and fairly strong, youkai drag her into the dark brush of the forest. Fuck! "All right boys, time to end the festivities. It's been fun, but I really have someplace to be."

"Looks like the party's just getting started between Geb and your whore." One of the demons said.

"Yeah even if she has an aura like Lord Kougaiji's." the other youkai said.

"Where did you find a nice piece of ass like that anyway? Hope she don't choke on Geb's cock when she blows—aggh!!!" The insult was cut off by a crescent blade slicing through the three.

"Now see, you just had to go ruin my fun with crudeness." Gojyo mentioned coldly to the piles of ash that were rapidly scattering with the wind. 'Hang on, Ty." He whispered as he dove into the trees.

* * *

"Wake up, bitch!" A sharp backhand opened up the recently closed cuts on her left cheek bone causing her to snap into consciousness. She cautiously reached up to feel the warm blood running down her jaw. "Fucker." She spat.

"What was that, wench?"

"You broke open my cuts, fucker, are you deaf as well as stupid?" She snarled imperiously.

The demon blinked as if he wasn't used to women talking back to him. It seemed like he was peering around her, rather than at her.

"Oh, you _are_ stupid!" She crowed, "You don't even know when you're being insulted!"

The youkai growled, "It doesn't matter if you feel like him, you aint him!" and backhanded Ty as an added response.

Ty sneered, "Him? Who's him? Your lover? God, I hope I'm not like him. And by the way, that's the last time you're gonna hit me, cocksucker." And she began to draw energy and released it at the demon.

Her jaw dropped and eyes widened in shock when he grinned as her bolt of energy sank into him. He picked her up, threw her straight into a tree and had the satisfaction of hearing her yelp in pain as her back connected with the trunk.

"Give me some more energy, bitch, it's always good to have a pick-me-up before I get to fuckin." He swaggared toward her.

Ty leveled herself off the forest floor painfully, her back hurt like hell and she was slow to recover, "Well, at least I know not to do _that_ again…" she muttered to herself. Suddenly he was in front of her again, hauling her up by her t-shirt. Her hands gripped his wrist as her feet lost purchase with the ground.

"Now let me see my prize." He used his other clawed hand to grip her throat as the one holding her shirt gave a vicious yank and tore the garment off, leaving her in her bra. The demon leered lecherously and grabbed her chest roughly.

Ty growled and gasped for air, her claws shredding the guy's wrist as he held her far enough away to prevent any well placed kicks.

"Such fight! You are like Kougaiji, even if that is impossible. I love it! Breaking you will be the highlight of my evening!"

"Funny. Killing you will be mine, asshole." A solemn voice drawled.

Ty's eyes followed the voice in relief and a bit of fright. "Go…jyo…" She croaked before the demon squeezed a bit more air out of her windpipe. She struggled and clawed even more.

The youkai looked to the spot where Gojyo stood, not 20 feet away. "You so sure, half-breed?" He ran a finger along the blood welling from Ty's cheek and brought the finger to his mouth to saver the blood found there. "Mmm…delicious—as I'm sure all of her will be."

"B..ast..ard…ack!" Ty gasped as the hand around her throat completely closed off all air. Her eyes went wide and her flailing weakened.

"Such temper in this one, it must be true even if I don't know how it is possible. The hair I could dismiss, the aura was a coincidence, but her will to fight and temper…she is related to Lord Kougaiji, there is no doubt! I bet she'll be a hot number in the sack." The youkai turned his eyes from admiring Ty to looking to Gojyo-who was gone. "Half-breed? You leave already? Excellent! Now I can enjoy her then." He swung his gaze back to Ty, who was starting to lose consciousness.

"No—you can _die_!" Came the savagely muttered reply followed by the distinctive rattle of the chain as the blade was loosed artfully bisecting the demon from groin to scalp and turning him to ash.

Ty fell to the ground in an ungraceful plop. She lay there, dizzy with lack of oxygen and even though it hurt, she greedily gulped air. She felt warm calloused hands on her bare back, pulling some of her hair away from her face. Belatedly she realized that her whole upper body was on fire, blood was running down her left cheek, she could barely swallow, much less speak, and her back was radiating waves of pain. Ty groaned and winced at the pain that even making that little bit of noise caused.

"Easy there, hon." Gojyo said softly. He knelt down beside her, inspecting her injuries. He couldn't see a whole lot in the darkness, not like Goku or Hakkai, but he could bet she was going to be a walking bruise come morning. Already he could see a four-inch band of dark purple forming around the column of her throat. He shrugged out of his jacket and covered her scantily clad torso.

Gratefully she snuggled into the garment that was still warm and smelling like Gojyo. She tried to clear her head and stand up. Gojyo was quick to assist her. His teasing demeanor was completely gone. He was quiet and guided her in the direction of camp. After a few steps she stopped and turned. "So…no copping a feel? Lech" She coughed, "-erous comments?" she hoarsely asked.

Gojyo blinked, "No, gorgeous, why would you think that?" He gently turned her to him and received the full impact of wide crimson eyes tearing up in the moonlight. The sight hit him worse than any assassin attack. "Aw, sweetie" he reached and enfolded her in his arms, "don't do that…don't cry." He laid his cheek on the top of her head as he felt her burrow her face into the crook of his shoulder and neck.

"Why…cause I'm a wimp?" Was brokenly whispered to his collarbone.

Gojyo chuckled softly, "No, because it makes me want to kiss you."

Ty pulled away and looked up at him with wide wondering eyes. A tear escaped and trailed silently down the curve of her good cheek. Gojyo felt something tighten within his chest at the sight. She looked so vulnerable right now. The tough girl was down for the count momentarily and the new Ty made his protective side all that much more evident. It also made him want to kill that bastard demon all over again. Instead he focused on the woman in front of him who needed him. She just had her first encounter with the enemy, had taken her first life. She was injured, shaken up and more than a bit frightened. It was up to him to set her to rights, to bring back the fiery woman that he loved to banter verbally with. "What's your full name?" he asked softly.

"Why?" she croaked out uncertainly.

"I've just been curious; Ty is usually a guy's name." Gojyo answered honestly. The thought had been in the back of his head this whole time, and this provided a good distraction from the horror of the night so far; and it kept her in his arms that much longer

"Um…" She chewed on her lip as if in thought. "Tyra Livingston." She answered softly.

"Hmm…what does it mean?" He kept his touch light as he smoothed back some of her hair away from her face, and wiped the remnants of tears from her cheeks, paying extra attention to the injured one.

"My adoptive parents were Scandinavian, so it stands for the Goddess of Battle." Ty looked down at the ground.

Gojyo barked out a laugh that caused her to snap her gaze back up to his face. "I wonder if they know how fitting your name is. Of course, if you act anything like you do when you're with me around your parents; I'd bet they know they made the right choice for names."

Ty didn't comment and looked toward camp. Gojyo figured she wanted the relative safety of camp. Little did she know that it would prove a feeble refuge. Those damn assassins of Kougaiji would never stop until one of them got lucky and killed Sanzo…and if that was the case, as much of a prick the guy was, Gojyo would be the first in line to deal out a little payback. He shook his head to himself to snap him back to the moment. He steered her in the direction of camp, "You know, before those assholes interrupted us, I was trying to apologize for being a jackass earlier."

Ty stopped and looked at him and a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. "Oh. Okay." She grinned a bit more, "I'm sorry too." She rasped. She started again in the direction of camp.

"Tyra." Gojyo called.

"Yes?" She turned back to him.

He wrapped an arm gently around the small of her back and drew her close so once again she was looking up into his face. He cupped the good side of her face with his free hand. "Don't scare me like that again. Promise me, you'll be close when the next attack comes."

'Next attack?' She thought, but couldn't voice because Gojyo had already claimed her mouth with his own in a gentle, yet persuasive kiss.

This was unlike those few drunken kisses on the night they first met. This was something different, something exciting and at the same time frightening as hell. Ty felt her remnants of fear dissipate as something hot, sensual, and needy took its place. She felt herself leaning into him as he deepened the kiss and soon her arms were wrapped around the back of his neck as she offered all of herself to him. She noted that his hands were greedy, yet supremely gentle and took into consideration every place where she could be bruised, battered, or cut.

Soon, he was pulling away, Ty found herself following just a bit before her own tardy sense of control came to the forefront. She held herself aloof, and met his gaze neutrally. She didn't want to display the fact that the kiss shook her more than she thought a kiss could. "We'd better get to camp…" She said huskily, not sure how much was desire, and how much was injury, that was causing her voice to sound like that.

"Much as I would love to continue this now, it's going to have to wait. We need to see if the guys are okay and we need to talk to Hakkai about your big brother."


	14. Chapter 14

They walked back into camp and once spotted, Goku jumped up and rushed to the pair. He looked both of them up then down and sneered at Gojyo. "What'd you do, let Ty do all the fighting for you, lazy water sprite?"

Gojyo arched an eyebrow, "Why you little good for nothin chimp." He smacked Goku on the top of his head, "I didn't see your happy ass out there fighting!"

"That's cuz there were demons here an' I had to protect Sanzo!" The heretic shoved at the kappa's hand.

"I did not need protecting, quit making me your excuse for being lazy." Sanzo replied haughtily.

Hakkai took advantage of the usual bickering between Gojyo and Goku to approach Ty. "Are you all right, Ty?" He silently took in the fact that she had Gojyo's jacket on and it was zipped to the neck. Hakkai looked to Gojyo in question and turned back to Ty with a shake of his head.

"A little bruised…but I'll live." She rasped out harshly.

Hakkai's polite smile faded as he listened to her voice. "Wow…that's a certainly a change in your voice. I can't help with that, but I can see to your cuts on your cheek."

"My what? Oh…" Ty reached up to gingerly touch the oozing wounds.

"Come sit by the fire and I'll patch those up and you can go get changed." Gently, Hakkai guided her to the fire and sat her down near it. He crouched down and held up his right palm next to her cheek and while holding her gaze released a flow of qi into her cuts causing them to stitch and knit together.

"There will always be two scars there, my healing technique cannot erase those." He said solemnly and looked away towards the fire.

Ty got the impression that he'd tried to heal scars before, but to no avail. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up in surprise. "I understand, Hakkai, and thank you for the help."

She wasn't just talking about the simple healing, Hakkai figured. She was referring to her impromptu training. "It was nothing, Ty, that any friend wouldn't do for another." He smiled at the newfound revelation that came with the fact that he could trust her. Don't ask him how he knew this, but she was like Gojyo in that respect. How did she get that way in so short of a time? Hakkai knew that with endless assassins trying to stop their slow, but inexorable progress towards Houtu Castle, she could very well be just another merc hired on by Kougaiji to kill them, but that wasn't the case here and Hakkai could feel it in the depths of his being. She was not evil. Whatever was tracking her _was_.

"So, lovergirl, are you done mooning over Hakkai and ready to tell us just what _is _chasing after you?" Sanzo snapped.

Ty turned her head to where the monk was sitting, his banishing gun in pieces in his lap as he cleaned it. "What makes you think they are after me?" She responded neutrally.

"Gee, I dunno, mabye when the demons yelled, 'where's the half breed bitch?' that gave it away. Now talk." He snarled.

Ty's hackles rose. "I don't know." She fired back.

"Bullshit. You know something." His eyes were hard as they bored into hers.

Ty growled, not caring that the action hurt her throat, "Are you that fucking paranoid that you believe _everyone_ is lying to you?" She lashed out as she stood.

Sanzo met her stare, "It's not paranoia. I don't trust you, and after this last attack I'm really starting to not like you either."

Ty fumed, "Hey, those are two very harsh accusations there, monk-boy. What have I ever done to deserve this kind of treatment?"

Sanzo smirked, "Good point. What _have_ you done?"

"Well…" Ty faltered.

Sanzo seized the opportunity, "_Exactly_. Nothing. All that has happened since you showed up has fucked up my plans and mission. Fucking think-with-his-dick Gojyo is doing exactly that around you, and while I normally don't give a flying fuck what he does with his dick, him being distracted in a fight will screw this mission up even worse than you already have. So either fuck him and get it out of your system or leave him the hell alone."

"Now wait just a goddamn.."

"No-you wait. You live now only because I don't know what the enemy wants you for. The minute I find that out, and if killing you impedes their plans, you're dead. Got it?"

Ty felt like she'd been beaten all over again by the brute demon, but this was worse. The rest of the guys had all sucked in a breath at the last of Sanzo's sililoquy. Her anger would not let her back down though. Her eyes narrowed to shield the evidence of the pain he'd inflicted as she stared down at Sanzo who calmly matched her glare as the last piece of the banishing gun clicked into place making the weapon operational.

"Well," She took a calming breath, "all I can say is that the day you come to kill me, you'll find I'm a lot harder to kill than you think, and I won't be goin' alone. Keep that in mind, monk." Ty had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen just a bit in surprise before masking all emotion away. She continued, "And one more thing you limey cocksucker, I'll stay out of Your Highness' way. Gods forbid a mere mortal like me interact with your Holiness and His page boys." She turned and walked away. "I will retire for the night away from the divine being known as Genjyo Sanzo in hopes that His brief exposure to my frail mortality did not sully His shining countenance." She departed camp and disappeared back into the woods.

Back at the camp, all eyes were staring at Sanzo who met each of the gazes in turn. "What the fuck are you all staring at?" He snapped.

"Well, the winner for 'Best Asshole Move of the Month' goes to Genjyo Sanzo." Gojyo commented humorlessly. He began to gather his pack together.

"I must agree with Gojyo on this one, Sanzo, you could have handled that situation with a bit more tact." Hakkai ladeled stew into two bowls.

"Fuck tact. Something is going on in the enemy ranks, and it involves that woman. I intend to get to the bottom of it regardless. She knows more than she lets on." Sanzo cracked another beer to go along with the ever-present cigarette in his hand.

Goku's eyes were wide with accusation, "Well you didn't hafta be so mean, Sanzo."

Sanzo sighed, "Shut the hell up, Goku." He stood up. "I'm going to bed. I swear if you kick me in your sleep, monkey…"

"What, you're gonna kill me too?" Goku snapped peevishly.

"Something like that." Sanzo carried his beer into the tent.

Hakkai handed Gojyo the two bowls of stew along with a few biscuits wadded up in a towel to keep warm. He spotted the pack on Gojyo's shoulder and locked gazes with the half-breed. "This should help her feel a bit better, at least the hot food will soothe that throat of hers. What happened anyway?" He watched as Gojyo's eyes took on a dangerous glint.

"Some bastard demon was going to rape her. He held her up by her throat as she kicked and fought like a hellcat." Gojyo was trying to juggle the two bowls so he wouldn't spill any of the wonderful stew.

"But why wouldn't she use her energy like I tried to teach her?" Hakkai questioned.

"I don't know. See, I had to take care of the bastard's friends before I could get to her."

"I see." Hakkai looked off to where Ty had disappeared into the woods.

"I got to her as soon as I could." Gojyo found himself explaining.

"No, I believe that you would protect her with everything in you, Gojyo. What I was wondering was why, if the enemy wanted her, would he intend her harm?" Hakkai rubbed at his temple.

"Well, maybe the ol' boy thought to find a few fringe benefits in which to enjoy his job better." Gojyo remarked.

"Perhaps, however this lot wasn't anywhere near the same caliber of assassins that usually come after us. It didn't feel the same."

"Yeah, it was sloppy." The red-head kept looking towards the woods, impatient to go calm Ty.

"That it was, but anyway, you had better get that stew to Ty before it gets cold. We'll speak of this later, tomorrow morning when everyone has had a chance to cool down."

"Sounds good, 'Kai. Thanks for the food and everything." Gojyo gave his friend a lopsided grin as he passed the dark haired demon and disappeared into the trees.

* * *

Back at Houtu Castle a lone figure knelt infront of Lady Gyokumen Koushu. "Status report, boy." Her voice cracked like a whip.

The boy in question kept his face to the ground. "The Sanzo party still has her, m'lady. My men—or rather your men—were not successful."

"Well, that's obvious, because I would be speaking with the Wild Card instead of volleying useless words with the likes of you. Why didn't you take her from the university?" She asked imperiously.

The man swallowed, "I was trying to gain her trust first and then the Sanzo party came and it all went to hell." He growled low in his throat.

"'Gain her trust'?" Koushu sneered, "Why would you do something like that? Unless you wanted to fuck her, was that it? Were you looking to get a little action on the side? You're pathetic to think that way instead of taking her _before_ she changed, so the issue of her strength would not have been pertinant." Her voice was gaining an ominous tone.

"I'm sorry, m'lady, I should have done as you said. However, I sent Geb and the boys after her with the hopes that Geb could rein her in." He swallowed nervously and scratched a pointed ear.

"Again you are wrong. Why must I suffer your incompetance?!" She slapped at the arm of her chair in irritation. "Go, keep following and monitoring their party, and for the gods' sake, do _not _ reveal yourself. She'll know that something would be amiss, she _is_ the daughter of Gyumaoh after all, not some peon demon."

"Of course, mistress." The figure stood up and began to leave, lucky to have kept his life.

"Where is Kougaiji and his rabble?" She fired the question at his back, making the man stop in his tracks.

"I do not know, m'lady, last I had seen was when he was here talking with you. When I put my dragon away in the stables, I noticed that his and his men's dragons were not in their stalls."

"Excellent, so the holier-than-thou _prince_ knows nothing of my 'additional parties'." Let's keep it that way, shall we?" The tone of her voice brooked no argument from the demon standing with his back to her, looking longingly at the door. "One more thing, put your limiters back on, as much as they piss you off, they are a necessity for you to associate in that upstart town and prissy university filled with nothing but humans." Koushu sneered.

"Of course, m'lady." He slipped on two rings on his right hand, one on his index finger, and the other on his ring finger. Immediately stinging discomfort arched up his arm and throughout his body and he hissed at the annoyance of it.

"That's a good little 'human'. Now go, keep me posted on what's going on. Don't wait too long before sending another party to collect the Wild Card."

He bowed wordlessly at the waist before leaving the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kougaiji was cursing violently. He stalked out of the tavern where he had encountered Ty..no..Sayuri the other night and there was no trace of her or the Sanzo party. He gave another round of profanity and laid it at the monk's door for continually screwing up his plans. Also, the human tavern keeper was too frightened of him that Kougaiji couldn't get much out of the man without having to soothe the poor soul every five minutes.

"My lord?" Yaone looked up when she saw Kou stalk out into the street.

"They're not here anymore, they've moved on." Kougaiji said to Dokugakuji and Yaone. They were the only ones who were listening, Lirin was happily munching on a meatbun.

"So, we can go collect her then?" Doku asked as he leaned against the building wall. The sky was overcast and the street was mostly deserted with a few people milling around.

"No, we can't. The Sanzo party has taken her as well. They left a day or so ago, according to that incompetent innkeeper back there." Kou couldn't help the sneer of frustration that colored his response. He scanned the street as if willing his half-sister to magically appear in front of them. No such luck, all he saw were humans. That's all there was in this town. And none of them wanted to meet the eyes of the four of them. However, that didn't stop them from whispering behind their hands as the humans stared.

"The baldy monk has her? That's _nothing_ that I can't take care of!" Lirin punched a fist in the air.

"Now Miss Lirin, you know that's not true." Yaone placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder, trying to calm the excitable youth. They sat on a bench that was lining the street.

"It is _too _true! I can get her, big brother! The Sanzo party doesn't frighten me!" Lirin bounced up, leaving Yaone on the bench, and approached Kougaiji with an eager look.

Kougaiji looked down at his younger sister who was so full of bravado it frightened the rest of them because she never knew when to quit. He didn't have to force the indulgent half smile that graced his lips as he looked at her, "No, I can see that they don't. However, they might be frightened of you…we can't let loose our secret weapon just yet, can we?" He looked up and caught Yaone's gaze, and spotted the affection held in that gaze. He gave her a small smile and turned his attention back to his little sister.

"Well, I dunno…" Lirin looked uncertain, and dug her toe into the street.

"Here kid, let's go get some more meatbuns over at that stand." Dokugakuji suggested and pushed away from the wall.

"Yeah! I'll need my strength if I am gonna kick that baldy head's butt!" Lirin skipped over to the stand across the street, leaving Yaone and Kougaiji alone.

"Well, I'd say she's not too convinced with your 'secret weapon' theory." Yaone remarked lightly as she pushed some of her hair back behind her ear.

"It would seem she is won over more by food than the chance at kicking Sanzo's ass." Kougaiji agreed.

"Well, what do we do now, m'lord?" She looked up into intense indigo eyes.

"What we always seem to do, track the Sanzo party and try and get Ty…I mean Sayuri. It is all we can do."

"I didn't really mean the immediate matter at hand, I was referring to once we got Sayuri, what do we do with her? Turn her over to Lady Gyokumen Koushu?" Yaone asked uncertainly. She knew her lord was puzzling this point over in his head even as she asked it, but she wanted to know what he was thinking.

"BIG BROTHER!?!! YOU WANT A MEATBUN???" Lirin yelled from across the street.

Kougaiji shook his head no to his exuberant sister all at the same time noticing that the humans of this town really did not like having four demons within its city limits. The whispering that he had noticed before had turned to disgruntled mutterings and violent gestures in his and his group's general direction. He disregarded all the lot of them as he watched Dokugakuji and Lirin cross the street.

He focused on Lirin, with arms around a big bag of meatbuns as she smiled up at Doku and chatted incessantly. Would he have had a similar relationship with Sayuri, had they grown up together? He'd like to think so. He wondered, as he did a thousand times a day since being ordered to collect her, what did Koushu want with his half-breed sister? He responded to Yaone's inquiry while still looking at Lirin and deep in his own thoughts. "I want to know what Sayuri is like, and what she knows, and I want to find out what my father's whore wants with her." As Doku and Lirin rejoined them he looked to the west, "Let's go, we need to catch up to them."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: _Sorry it has been such a long time! I blame work and especially school for being such cruel mistresses! I appreciate all of you who have stuck with this and have been patient, or in Nimblnymph's case not so patient…I jest, I jest. Let me tell ya, this has been a long and difficult semester, and thank the gods it's almost done! But enough of my rambling, onto the fic!

* * *

_**

The next couple of days passed by in a blur. The five of them would travel continually westward and besides Gojyo and Goku bickering like usual, not a lot was said in the jeep. Ty was still smarting over Sanzo's rejection of her, while the rest of the guys treated her like a sister…well with the exception of Gojyo.

Ty ducked her head forward in order to hide the blush that stole across her cheekbones. _He_ certainly didn't treat her in a sisterly way. Gojyo was always finding ways to touch her—innocently enough—but the intent couldn't be more blatantly obvious. He also found every opportunity to pull her off to the side, out of sight of the rest of the guys, kiss her until she couldn't breathe, and then either push her back towards the jeep before anyone was aware, or else throw an arm across her shoulders in a 'chummy' façade and escort her back to the jeep. She'd be doing as she did now, fighting a blush.

The one time they had had a particularly steamy interlude and when they had walked back to the jeep she was flushed, and more than a bit disheveled, thanks to Gojyo's roaming hands. That hadn't been the issue, what had been was Goku looking worriedly at Ty as he reached up to feel her forehead, "Ty, you're all red an' sweaty! Maybe Hakkai should look at'cha, are you sick?" His eyes were impossibly round and gleamed as he peered up at her.

Ty paused for a moment, caught off guard, then grinned at Goku, "No worries, I'm fine."

Gojyo, who had witnessed the exchange gave a throaty chuckle, "Yeah cool it chimp. There's nothing wrong with her that _I _can't fix." He hugged Ty to his side.

Goku needed a minute to comprehend. When he did, his eyes got huge and he shouted, "That's just GROSS!" And stalked off mumbling about death to pervy kappas.

Gojyo was laughing as he looked down at Ty, who resembled a cherry tomato. "So the ballsy half-breed is the shy type about sex, huh?" He quipped, waiting for her reaction.

He didn't have long to wait, she shot her gaze up to his, "I am NOT! It's just that…if he should tell Sanzo…" Ty trailed off uncertainly.

"So what? Ohhhh…." Gojyo enunciated, "You mean about what he said before…about me thinking with my dick."

Ty, uncharacteristically shy with eyes downcast, nodded.

Gojyo lifted her chin so he could look her in the eye. "The only way you would distract me in a fight was if you got hurt. So, that being said, let Hakkai train your qi and kick as much ass as you can, got it?" He smiled.

Ty nodded and started to turn towards the jeep.

"And Tyra?"

She turned back, loving the sound of her full name from him, "Yeah, kappa?"

Gojyo's grin was wolfish, "Fuck Sanzo and his holier-than-thou ways."

She laughed, feeling her good mood restore itself, "Right. I'll try, but I don't think he'll appreciate my efforts." She winked and sauntered off.

Shocked, Gojyo trailed after her, "Hey! I wasn't serious! Gorgeous, come back here…"

Back in the present, Ty still smiled over the memory. She looked up and met Hakkai's eyes in the rear-view mirror. The emerald depths gleamed knowingly and crinkled as he smiled. Shit! This meant that Hakkai knew about her and Gojyo! Well, she reasoned with herself, it wasn't as if the guys _didn't _know. Gojyo got downright possessive and even territorial about his affections and the rest of the guys would have to be deaf, blind and stupid to not notice his behavior. And she knew Sanzo to be none of those things. So what was she worried about? Ty let out a breath, she was worried he was going to send her away from them. Away from Gojyo. This was the first time in a long time that she had felt a part of something. She didn't want to lose it.

Gojyo, oblivious to Ty's inner debate, stretched his arms expressively over his head and slipped his left arm across her shoulders and tucked her into his side. She looked up at him and grinned.

He grinned back and mentally congratulated himself on accomplishing the preliminary steps of "Operation: Seduce Ty"…next came "Operation: Piss off Monkey". He subtly reached with his and flicked Goku in the ear.

"OW! DAMNIT! What was THAT, Gojyo?!" Goku shouted.

Poker-faced, Gojyo looked at the monkey. "What was what?" Ty, who knew that _something_ had to be afoot, but didn't know for sure looked from kappa to chimp.

"YOU KNOW! The thing that hit my ear!"

Ty caught on, and just as solemn as Gojyo added, "Perhaps it was just a pebble? This _is_ an open air jeep after all." She felt Gojyo's hand on her shoulder give her a reassuring squeeze.

Goku was mystified, "You think so? I think that cockroach head had somethin to do with it." But he sat back down and looked out at the scenery rolling by.

Ty felt Gojyo's chest shake with silent laughter. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his hand raise up and again flick Goku in the ear.

"DAMNIT! I know its you, GOJYO!" Goku once again sprang up and glared at the long haired offender.

Gojyo was still stoic. "What _are_ you talking about, you little freak?"

Ty was trying unsuccessfully to hold back her laughter—she couldn't keep a straight face as well as the boys.

Goku spotted it and pounced, "Ah-HAH! Ty's laughing, you must have done something!"

Gojyo was nonplussed, "So? Maybe she's laughing at your dumb ass, you paranoid primate!"

"Don't call me THAT!" Goku shouted.

Ty began to chuckle. "Sorry Gojyo.." She muttered, forgetting about Goku's keen hearing.

"What are you sorry for?" Goku looked from Ty who had finally lost all restraint and began to laugh outright, to Gojyo who was fast losing his composure as well. Suddenly Goku's eyes darkened and his fists clenched, "I KNEW THAT ASSHOLE WAS DOING IT!"

A sudden gunshot from the passenger seat in front silenced the three in back. "Shut the hell up back there!" Came the cold command.

Goku hastily fell back onto the seat to avoid gunfire and landed unceremoniously in a sprawl on top of Ty.

"Always have to be the asshole, don't ya, monk?" Gojyo sneered.

Sanzo refused to rise to the bait. "As long as you all shut the hell up."

"Sorry Ty." Goku mumbled as he tried to untangle himself from her lap. As he registered her quiet assurance, he noticed her scent. This was the closest he had been to her so he now smelled the unique blend that made up Ty. Where Sanzo was a cold winter's sun, Ty reminded him of a warm summer's rain. Usually any kind of rain meant isolation, sadness, and pain; not to mention a pissed off Sanzo; but Ty's scent seemed lonely, but friendly. It made him want to comfort her and let her know she wasn't alone. Not anymore at least. She also reminded Goku of something—no-she smelled like someone else, someone familiar. Someone—

"Yo Monkey! Get off the lady already! Or are you turning into a lap chimp?" Gojyo slapped Goku upside the head.

Goku leapt off Ty so fast it was a blur. His face was beet red and he mumbled another apology to Ty. To Gojyo he shouted, "Do you always have to make things look an' sound perverted?"

Ty sighed, these two never stopped! "You're all right, Goku. You did nothing wrong. Gojyo, please stop needling Goku for at least five minutes so I don't get a headache. Remember the last time I got a headache and you kept egging Goku on?" She asked slyly.

Gojyo's eyes widened then he remarked, "You threw me off the damn jeep!"

Ty slapped her hand over his mouth, "God, do you even _know_ how to control the level of your voice?" She grinned to let him know she wasn't pissed at him—yet. "I'm sitting right next to you –you don't need to shout."

"Yeah stupid cockroach—mmph!"

Ty had her other hand over Goku's mouth faster than he could blink. "The same goes for you too, Goku."

They both looked at her with wide eyes.

Hakkai chuckled, "Well that certainly is one way to get some peace and quiet."

"Looks like she's good for something after all." Sanzo remarked.

Ty's eyes narrowed. The nerve of that asshole! "If I take my hands down do you two promise to be good?"

Two heads nodded simultaneously.

"And blessedly quiet?"

Again two heads nodded.

"Okay then, we'll try it this way, but if I have to break out the duct tape, someone's gonna get hurt." She said neutrally and released her hold over both the guy's mouths. She wiped her right hand on her jeans because _someone_ had been tracing patterns across her palm with his tongue.

For once the boys said nothing. No bickering, teasing, or fighting. They just sat there and were silent. Ty yawned. It was warm here by Gojyo's side. She burrowed into the crook of his shoulder and inhaled the scent that was unique only to Gojyo as she fell asleep to a silent jeep.

It seemed she had just shut her eyes when suddenly she was thrown even more into Gojyo, causing her to snap her eyes open to assess the situation. Gojyo had his arms around her and Goku was gone from the back seat. The remaining three men all had their gazes trained to the right of the vehicle. "What's goin' on?" she asked softly to Gojyo.

"We've got company, gorgeous, use your newfound skills to tell me who and what."

"This isn't the fucking time for another one of her 'demon lessons'." Sanzo bit out harshly.

"Fuck off, monk, she needs to know how to use her abilities if she's gonna help us." Gojyo spat back angrily.

"This also isn't the time for an argument, Ty's abilities aside." Hakkai cautioned.

Ty listened to the hissed discourse between the three, ignored the anger from them and their bickering and instead put Hakkai's single training session to the test. She closed her eyes and opened herself to everything around her. She could hear the three men's heart beats and respirations…and their arguing…and Goku, he was off to the left of the jeep and he seemed eager about something. The wind was blowing softly and she picked up scents of Goku, who smelled like warm sugar cookies and campfires, inviting and sweet. Hakkai smelled like her favorite brand of bourbon, smooth, warm, and strong. Sanzo smelled cold, Ty couldn't place exactly because she couldn't care less about Sanzo. No, she inwardly shook her head, it wasn't that she didn't care about Sanzo, she just didn't want to get close to him because he held her future in his hands. She focused instead on identifying Gojyo's scent. Gojyo was easy, he smelled sensual, there was no other word for it, he smelled like a cinnamon stick and chocolate and all those sinful things a girl shouldn't love. Ty felt herself grinning until a sharp elbow jab into her ribs snapped herself out of her fantasy.

"Do you sense them, gorgeous?" Gojyo whispered, "They are close enough for me to, so you should be able to as well."

"Oh? The auras, I remember." She whispered back and focused not on scents, but rather auras. There were four of them, really strong and one…the one felt strange. "How could the one feel familiar, Gojyo?"

They were out of the jeep now and looking to the north where the four strong demons were walking towards them. Gojyo looked at her serious and replied, "Because you've met the one already. That is Kougaiji and his crew."

Ty just nodded, "Oh. I see." And turned and looked to where Kougaiji and his three demons followed. One was a woman with long purple hair and the strangest outfit Ty had ever seen, were those…chain garters? There was a really tall man with spiky black hair and a roguish grin that seemed familiar. Another was just a young teenager with outrageous orange hair tied back in a band with a couple bells. And then there was Kougaiji.

Ty didn't know if she should fear the man. The last time she had run into him, she didn't know what the hell he was talking about when he was spouting 'wild card' this and 'my mistress' that. He didn't look like the type to follow a mistress, so there had to be something behind that as well. She peered closer at him, he was definitely an intimidating character, and there was no doubt about that. She found though, that it was more curiosity than fear that was driving her now. That and the brute demon had said that she was related to _Kougaiji_ somehow. It sounded plausible, because it seemed that Kougaiji was just as curious as she was because the demon was peering intently at her.

"Oh, I see, the crappy assassins didn't do the job right so Mr. Boss Man has to come down and do the dirty work!" Gojyo scoffed.

Kougaiji snapped his gaze from Ty to the half-breed brother of Doku's. "Just what are you implying?"

"I'm talkin' about your gang of shoddy demons who thought nothing of raping your target before delivering it to you!" Gojyo growled fiercely, still pissed over Ty's abuse.

Kougaiji's eyes widened as he flicked his line of sight over to Ty again, this time noticing the fading banded bruise that had turned a sickly shade of purple/green/yellow. "Who the hell did this?" Kou barked savagely, "I authorized no raid on the Sanzo party until I collected the wild card." His voice was fierce and surprised the five by the jeep with its vehemence.

"Don't play dumb, mullet head." Gojyo snarled. "You're act is as phony as Yaones' boobs _have_ to be. There's no way you couldn't have known about the assassins seein' as you're the one always sending them at us."

"YEAH!" Goku crowed in agreement.

Instead, Kougaiji ignored the baited verbal darts and again focused on Ty. "You see, this is the rabble you have aligned yourself with. If you wish it, so be it. It will not sway me from my mission, and that is to get you away from them. So I offer you a challenge, wild card."

Ty stepped forward, "What sort of challenge?"

Kougaiji met her in the middle of the two groups and they stood, face to face. He smiled, "Well…if you beat me in a fight, I'll let you stay where you are. If not, you have to come with me."

Gojyo looked over to Goku, "Looks like you're out a dancing partner, chimp."

Meanwhile, cold amethyst eyes surveyed the situation and calculated the outcomes. Also, he noticed that both the girl's aura and Kougaiji's were very similar. Could that demon that had beaten the hell out of her have been telling the truth? Interesting.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Again, many apologies for the tardy chapter addition! However, for the few readers that are following this(that I LOVE you for) will be pleased to know that I am now graduated from University! So that SHOULD mean that I will be able to post more frequently and work on more projects! I have a few waiting in the dusty corners of me mind just waiting to get them selves heard! I also maybe will be branching into other anime series too…so stay posted!_

The two red-headed figures stood facing each other; the wind swirled around them and mussed the clothes of the spectators as they formed an impromptu ring around the two central figures. The day was slightly overcast and the scent of rain on the way could be detected in the air. The area was eerily quiet, not a word was spoken for several minutes, and not even a chirp from a bird or chatter from a chipmunk could be heard from the stand of trees to the north where Kougaiji and his group had emerged from. It was as if all the animals knew there was a fight of big import about to commence and decided to flee the area.

Ty stared at Kougaiji, "You lie. You're going to take me whether I win or not." She glanced back at the guys.

"I am not lying, Imoto. If you can beat me in a fight, you can stay with the Sanzo Party." He saw the reaction that his new name for Ty caused in the ranks of Sanzo and his group. The haughty priest had narrowed his eyes suspiciously while the other three had widened their gazes and even dropped a jaw or two. Kougaiji felt himself smirk imperiously. 'Let's see how they handle that one.' He thought to himself.

Ty whipped her gaze back to the demon prince, "Imoto? What the hell does that mean?"

Kougaiji smirked. "You will find out, if you come with me."

Ty growled, "All this cloak and dagger, false challenges, and _bullshit_ are starting to piss me off. Ever since this happened," she gestured to her hair and eyes, "my life suddenly isn't my own anymore!"

Kougaiji's smirk turned into a knowing smile, "Welcome to adulthood Imoto. Rarely can people of _your_ background do as they wish, especially so with your coloring."

Ty had had it, "Quit patronizing me and calling me dirty names, and acting like you _know_ me!" She finally threw a punch aimed at Kougaiji's jaw.

Kou caught the right fist in his left hand; even though it slid him back a foot. "You'll have to do better than that, Ty." He grinned and sent his right fist straight into her gut, but checked his punch at the last second by just a hair.

Ty felt the wind leave her in one big _whoosh_! She doubled over his fist and tried to get her breath back. However, Kou was quicker and he brought his left fist down in a crushing blow to her cheekbone that slammed her into the ground.

"Ty!" Goku yelled and surged forward, yet was stopped by Sanzo. "Sanzo? What the hell?"

The priest never took his eyes off the pair in front of them, "This is their fight, not yours. Don't interfere."

"But Kougaiji is a lot stronger than her, can't you feel—"Goku piped up.

"Can it. She got herself into this." Sanzo coldly reasoned.

Ty picked herself up painfully, her right cheekbone felt almost like it was broken. Shit. She was in _way_ over her head here. She glared at Kougaiji, ignoring the throbbing in her face. What the hell was she doing? This guy was strong, and she was no seasoned warrior. Oh sure, she may like to scrap from time to time, but this was different. Ty gritted her teeth, she would not lose. She widened her stance yet again and met his gaze squarely. She was going to kick this smug bastard's ass! She didn't know how, but it was gonna happen.

"Surely you know you cannot win, Ty." Kou spoke matter-of-factly.

She growled, "That doesn't mean I am going to give up. I'll win, you'll see." She concentrated and tried to draw some qi, but Kou had disappeared.

"You're too slow, little one." A rough voice murmured in her ear causing her eyes to widen. A sudden pain blossomed in her side as his foot connected with her ribs, sending her skipping along the ground several feet.

"TY!" Gojyo shouted and surged forward, only to have Hakkai place a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Sanzo's right, Gojyo, this is her fight. As much as I would like to help her, this is between her and her apparent brother." The dark-haired demon's eyes were solemn and never left the dueling pair. "This is breaking my heart as well, don't think that it isn't."

Gojyo wasn't placated, "This is like sending a fucking lamb to the slaughter! She is no where near the fighter that Kougaiji is! He'll kill her, imoto or not!" He swung his worried gaze from the fight to Hakkai and then to Sanzo, who was calmly smoking a cigarette. Anger erupted in Gojyo at the sight of such serenity on the monk's face, "And _you._ Do you care so little that you would allow an innocent person die all for inconveniencing the enemy's plans?"

Sanzo snorted, "Stupid kappa, the mission comes first, not useless feelings of lust. If Kougaiji kills her, that's his problem, and that nuiscence is out of my hands."

Hakkai was the one to step up to that comment, "That's cold, Sanzo, even for you."

Meanwhile, as the four guys argued, Ty was struggling. Her ribs hurt like hell, her cheek had long since went numb, her bottom lip was swollen and bleeding and her knuckles were bruised from the _few_ punches she had landed, but over all her whole body ached. She panted, out of breath, as Kougaiji stalked around her. Ty kept her gaze trained on serious indigo eyes and it galled her that his smugness had not wavered once during the entire altercation.

"Imoto, just give up. If you come with me, I will train you to the extent that you will be able to even take on the monk over there."

Ty glanced over her shoulder at the guys to notice that only Goku was watching worriedly. The other three were arguing amongst themselves. She smiled gamely at Goku to lessen his concern as she turned back to Kougaiji—he was gone! She whipped around to face—his fist coming at her. With a growl she ducked and allowed his punch to carry him closer to her, then Ty surged upward to land a solid uppercut to the underside of Kougaiji's jaw. She had the satisfaction of seeing his body go sailing high into the air to land with a thud about fifteen feet away from her.

She shook out her aching fist and watched as he had a bit of trouble trying to pick himself up. She used the time to draw some qi and when he stood fully she launched it at him.

He swept it aside as if brushing away a fly. "Please. That trick won't work on me. It is because I am intrigued by you that I do not summon a fiend to end this. You would have been dead as soon as this fight started. However, you are important to our cause and so you shall not be eliminated."

"So? I still say my life is my own and you can just go to hell!" She charged at him, claws extended and drawn back to swipe.

He caught her easily and held her in a concrete yet painless grip. "Don't you see, Imoto, they don't care for you. They are arguing and not even paying attention to you." He murmured to her persuading.

Ty struggled, but still glanced over her shoulder and saw that the only thing that had changed was now Goku was in the midst of the argument with the other three. A shard of pain lanced through her at their apparent disregard of her well being. She shut it out and turned back to the demon that held her and struggled anew to free herself.

Kougaiji saw the hint of uncertainty and grinned all the while he cringed inwardly at his underhanded tactics. "Look, they do not lift a finger to help you. You've heard them shouting. Goku himself had admitted that you were nowhere near my level of power, yet they all just stay there."

Ty growled, "No-it's because they know I am going to kick your ass on my own!" She managed to break a hand free and slap his face with claws raking deep.

Kougaiji hissed in pain and captured her arm again this time squeezing her wrist so tight that she could feel her bones grind painfully together. "Listen! You don't belong with them! That is why you need to come with me! I can explain everything to you!" He said urgently, not wanting to hurt her anymore than he had to.

The pain speared deep in her chest and burned…even when Kougaiji suddenly dislocated her shoulder in one smooth move, it couldn't eclipse the pain of this revelation.. She slumped to the ground, her left shoulder and arm hung useless and limp. She despised the bitter tears that escaped on their own to trail down her cheeks. What the demon prince had said was true, all of it. Ty realized suddenly. She didn't belong with the Sanzo party any more than she belonged in her hometown and college. Briefly she thought of Lane--why she didn't know—then Gojyo flashed in her mind's eye. That damn contagious grin of his wouldn't leave her mind's eye.

"I see you have come to your senses." Kougaiji bent down to help her up.

Furious red eyes snapped up and with a primal growl she screamed, "Fuck, NO!" And summoned all the qi she could and aimed it all at Kougaiji.

Caught unawares Kougaiji got hit with the full blast before he could hastily throw up a shield, even so he still ended up several feet away, smoldering.

Gojyo was in the heat of the argument on whether or not Ty should remain with them when he felt a tingling at the back of this neck; the spot that only reacted when qi was being used in excess, usually from Hakkai; but the dark haired demon stood next to him. He turned from the group to the sight of Ty, slumped on the ground; suddenly explode with energy that sent that bastard Kougaiji flying. She then fell the earth with a soft, _thud_. "TY!!!" He shouted and sprinted out.

Kougaiji picked himself up and stalked to where Ty lay. "I guess I win." He bent to pick her up, yet a crescent blade and chain streaked between Kou and Ty, effectively stopping the demon prince's advancement.

"Half-breed, what are you doing? I won the fight. She is mine."

Gojyo had reached Ty's form. "Over my dead body, Kougaiji. She's hurt. She can't go with you."

"I have an excellent apothecary waiting just over there." Kougaiji gestured to Yaone.

"You mean Fake Tits McGee?" Gojyo quipped, ignoring the glare of hatred shot at him from Yaone's general direction. "Sorry, I trust Hakkai a helluva lot more than your concubine." Gojyo gathered Ty into his arms, "Besides, this is my woman."

"Rather aggressive for a skirt chaser such as yourself. However the sentiment of that comment is lost when it is obvious that you do not care for her safety."

Gojyo quirked an eyebrow. "Just what are you tryin to say?"

Kougaiji sighed, "Well, she and I had an agreement, one she obviously lost due to unconsciousness, and so you would dare to breech that contract by not allowing her live up to her end of the deal." Kou arched an eyebrow at Gojyo then stared down at the unconscious form of Ty. Worry was carefully hidden in his gaze as he kicked himself mentally for the brutality that he had been forced to deal out. For some reason she wanted to stay with the Sanzo party and it was a mystery to Kougaiji. Possibly the womanizer that held her now had something to do with it. Kou felt the stirring of protective anger at the thought of Doku's half-sibling touching Sayuri in an inappropriate manner.

Where had this caring come from? He burrowed his eyebrows in thought. By all logical sense he shouldn't care for her this much. She was simply an unknown element, a pawn for use by his father's whore, Gyokumen Koushu. He didn't even know her that well. However it would seem that he had quit thinking of her as Wild Card, and now even the name Sayuri seemed wrong. This unexpected, unpredictable rogue was Ty-his half sister.

She may be new to the world of demons-his world-and she had the added difficulty in having to straddle both worlds, thanks to her heretic blood; however she fought through it with a tenacity that surprised him. Even the lure of being able to kick Sanzo's ass failed to sway her. So he had been forced to dish out some harsh lessons for his sister.

"My lord?" Yaone's voice was soft at his side. "Shall we take her?"

Gojyo sneered, "Look lady…you're not gonna get her."

Yaone in turn glared back at Gojyo, "If Lord Kougaiji orders it, I will blow you away." She reached into her pouch at her belt and drew forth a few explosives.

Gojyo waggled his eyebrows, "Wow, your 'Lord' is quite generous with his harem…however I think I'll pass on your offer of fellagio, Ty's more than enough of a trial for me."

Yaone's jaw dropped as she realized what she had said and how it had sounded, "Why…you…y..ou…" She stuttered indignantly.

"Me what?" Gojyo taunted. "As long as I hold Ty here, you can't do anything, and your lord isn't saying much, just staring at nothing. I'm taking Ty with me, and that is all there is to it." Gojyo turned and began walking towards the jeep. Hakkai started to walk out to meet him when Kougaiji's voice stopped the half-breed.

"Gojyo. Wait." Kougaiji drew up near to them. He had a strange look on his face, like he found something of his. Gojyo narrowed his gaze, just what was the hoity-toity prince up to now?

Kougaiji leaned down, brushed some hair away from Ty's ear, and whispered something so low that even Gojyo couldn't hear. Ty sighed in her unconscious state and Kougaiji straightened. "I give you leave to tend to her. She may have lost this battle, and by rights she's mine. I will collect her when the time comes. So take care of her until then."

Gojyo just arched a brow, "How generous of you, my _lord_. However I wasn't lookin' or waitin' for your permission. And we'll see you try and take Ty again, she'll know how to take you out then."

"You've turned into such a cheerleader, little brother." Dokugakugi snickered.

Gojyo didn't say anything, just rolled his shoulder in an idolent shrug. He hadn't changed, had he? "Whatever, I need to get her back to the jeep."

By now, Hakkai had approached them, "Gojyo, do you need any help with her?"

"I got her right now, but its up to you to do the healing." They both turned to the jeep.

"Remember my words, Sanzo party. I defer my choice to take her now unto a later date. But when I come, I shall have her." Kougaiji declared. Internally he was wondering how he was going to explain it to that whore.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: I apologize for all the soliloquies that Ty has in her head, but you have to admit, she has a lot of thinking to do. As have I, on where I want this story to go…y'all can feel free to email me with any suggestions! I have a tentative outline, but any feedback is appreciated! Many thanks as always to Nimblnymph for keeping me going throughout this whole thing…and for reviewing! Reviews are always welcomed; they help keep me on track. But now to the story!_

When Ty awoke, it was dark and she could see the brightly illuminated stars overhead in the inky sky. She felt the heat from a campfire close to her right side and smelled the ever-present scent of tobacco smoke that mingled with the guys' own personal scents, the earthy smell of forest, soil and wood smoke from their fire.

The boys were near, she could sense them and in her peripheral vision she could see Gojyo was right next to her. She didn't want to alert any of them to the fact that she was awake. She wasn't ready to face them just yet, so she closed her eyes again.

Ty had lost. She had figured that she wouldn't be able to beat Kougaiji, but now that her defeat had come to pass, she found it had left a bitter taste in her mouth.

'_Just chalk it up to one more failure in your life_.' Ty berated herself, '_After all, it's just par for the course.' _It was true, this wasn't the first time she'd gotten her ass kicked-even the brute demon from several nights back wasn't. She'd spent her whole life somehow getting into fights or conflicts at school, work, home, it didn't matter where. Someone, _somewhere_ always had to have a problem with her in some form or fashion. And every time it happened, she had to see that same look of disappointment and despair on her parent's faces. Growing up she wondered, as she did now, why couldn't she just get along with others? Why did she have to be different? Why couldn't she be a part of something?

Like the Sanzo party. They all had their own individual roles to play: Hakkai was the stalwart rock, Sanzo was the aggressive leader. Sure he was a prick, yet it took an ironclad personality to hold the title he did and to take on the mission that was assigned to him. She could admire that about him, but his people skills were shit! Goku was the ethereal optimistic and a surprisingly good warrior- his looks and attitude completely mask that aspect. And Gojyo He was the big brother figure to them all—except her. The thoughts she had entertained on more than one occasion about that long haired hooligan were anything _but _brotherly. She felt herself blush.

"Yo 'Kai! I think she's getting a fever over here, she's turning all red!" Gojyo's voice called out. It was loud to her, so that meant he was still by her.

Suddenly a cool hand felt her forehead, "Well, she doesn't seem too bad…" Hakkai's voice was soothing and calm.

"Maybe if you would move her away from the fire, it's overkill to have five blankets on her and a half meter from the fire." Sanzo's sarcastic voice intoned.

Ty wanted to blink in astonishment, Sanzo? Concerned? For her? She must be dreamin! Too bad it wasn't sincere; he just didn't want her burn up in the fire and lose his ace in the hole. She figured she wouldn't be able to keep a straight face if they tried to move her, so Ty figured it was time for her to 'wake-up'. She groaned a little bit and shifted on her pallet. Gods, every bit of her hurt! Her whimper upon this discovery was the genuine article.

"Ty, hey babe, you awake?" Gojyo's voice called in concern.

She opened her eyes to see Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku all leaning over her. "Hey guys." She said softly, only managing half a smile. She was glad to see their concern, but she knew that she wasn't part of the gang. She was an outsider to this group, and she always would be.

"Are you feeling all right?" Hakkai quietly asked.

"I dunno, I ache all over, but I see my left arm works." She rolled her shoulder.

"Yes, I reset it while you were unconscious. The body ache is from expelling that much qi—that is your life energy. Think of it as the big brother to those muscle aches of exercising too much." He chuckled.

"I see." She slowly set up, barely managing to stifle a groan at the pain.

"Easy there, gorgeous." Gojyo placed a hand at the small of her back and shoulder to stabilize her.

"I'm all right." She muttered and stood up.

Gojyo and Hakkai both hovered with partially extended arms in an effort to help her, should she need it. She walked over to where Sanzo sat. "Why did you keep me from Kougaiji?" She asked tonelessly, already expecting his answer; she didn't look at him, rather stared off into the darkness.

"I didn't. It was Gojyo and Hakkai's decision." Sanzo didn't even look up from his book.

Tight lipped, Ty nodded, reveling in the pain that the verbal dart caused. She was in a masochistic mood and Sanzo was the perfect weapon for some self-abuse.

"I was worried for ya, Ty!" Goku piped up as he came into camp carrying an armful of wood. "I didn't want ya to go with Kougaiji." Goku sneered the man's name as if it were a swear word.

Ty worked up a half smile for the exuberant teen, "Thanks." She moved slowly, stiff with muscles that had expended too much qi refused to move correctly. She searched around until she saw her bag back by her bedroll; bending down she grimaced at the pain as she retrieved it. She mumbled something about needing some privacy and ambled off away from the camp.

She walked through the woods, staring at nothing, not caring where she walked. Her feet found a path on their own while her mind was miles away in a storm of conflicting thoughts. Mainly she thought of the things Kougaiji had said. They were no less bitter tasting now than when he had ground them into her earlier as he had ground her into the dust.

What had she been thinking? She didn't belong with these guys. Sanzo's animosity was rightly justified when she stopped to think about it. She was impeding his progress on his 'mission', whatever that may be. Ty still didn't know the specifics of it all even though she had traveled with them for a while now. She didn't know what their mission was; all she knew was they continually moved westward. She remembered trying to think of the reason for their mission back home when Gojyo was trying to be a cowboy, but with all that had happened from that day to this, the thought had slipped her mind and she had forgotten to ask.

She wasn't in the mood to go back and ask them the nature of their business now. She doubted that she would even get a straight answer based on her popularity rating right now. Oh, Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku liked her well enough, but Sanzo…well that was enough said on that subject!

Also, she had no right trying to pry into their affairs. She only wanted to know how she fit into the big picture. Why her? Was it because of her coloring? Lord, she was beginning to hate the way she looked even more than she already did—and she absolutely detested the fact that everyone's perceptions of her hinged on her damn bloody hair!

Incensed, she stalked through the trees to stop abruptly when she happened upon the shore of a small lake. This was new to her. Ty looked around at the scene: crickets sang in the darkness while the moonlight glittered off the lake's smooth surface. As the trees sighed in the small nighttime breeze, Ty couldn't help herself. With a smirk, she divested herself of her jeans, t-shirt, her beloved flat toed black leather biker boots, and under things and with a flash of pale skin dove into the placid waters.

She swam far under the surface, loving how the water caressed her seemingly weightless body. A body that seemed to lose its stiffness and aches from her earlier fight with every stroke. She dove deeper, wanting to exorcise the doubts and demons that plagued her. She hated feeling morose and so she tried to relax and allow the water to slough off her troubles and apprehensions.

After a long while, Ty surfaced with a splash, her neck and head snapping back to flick her hair behind her. She took a large lungful of air and peered up at the moon as she treaded water. Her step-parents had always told her that everything happened for a reason. She was with the Sanzo party because she was meant to. Now Kougaiji was beckoning her to go with him to find out answers. It could be the truth, or a lie, but she wouldn't know which until she found out for herself. She wasn't ready to go with him just yet though. There were things here that were still puzzling to her. And one of them was never far from her mind; Gojyo.

He was a complete enigma to her. He played the part of rake and hellion with such ease, yet if a person looked close enough you could see the softy that he was in real life. What had made him act the way he did? It was as if he played at being indifferent. It was like he didn't want anyone to get close to him…a sentiment she knew only too well because she was just like that. Hell, all of the guys were if you thought about it. The only one who couldn't hide it as well was Goku, that boy was an open book. A person knew what he was feeling just by watching the emotions pass across his expressive face.

Ty sighed, some serious shit must have gone down in each of the guys' lives in order for them to act the way they did. And personally, Ty didn't want to know the gruesome details. That didn't concern her. Call her conceited, but she wanted to know how she fit into this menagerie of dysfunction.

Her questions were clear, if not simple. Who was she? Why did Kougaiji want her? Why did Sanzo hate her? Was it true that she was related to the demon prince? And finally, if these two groups of warriors hated each other as much as they said, why did the two factions not instantly tear the each other apart upon meeting at any given time?

Ty understood anger and hostility. She had faced it almost every day—especially at home when confronted with yet another one of her indiscretions—so the dynamics between Kougaiji and his men and Sanzo and the others confused her. There was the need to fight surely, yet it wasn't blood lust—it was more of a duel. Only she had had that primal rage of wanting to destroy her enemy that enemy being Kougaiji. Hell, the whole damn Sanzo party had turned their back on their 'enemy' and was arguing amongst themselves! And what's more—Kou's men didn't press the advantage. What. The. Fuck?

Ty found herself gritting her teeth and clenching her fists and forced herself to relax by diving down into the silent water again. As with the first time, the silence and embrace of the water that was still warm from the day's heat soothed her and when she surfaced a second time she was calmed down.

"What a breathtaking sight-an exquisite Venus in moonlight." A voice softly drawled from off to her left.

Even if she hadn't recognized the voice, the soft _snikt_ of a Zippo lighter would have confirmed the identity. She tilted her head back to look up at the moonlight then rolled her head to the right to look at the shadowed figure that had a softly illuminated face, thanks to the lit cigarette trapped between two sensual lips. "Hello Gojyo." She called softly.

"Felt like going for a swim, gorgeous?" He walked out into the moonlight. His eyes were fixed on her and her alone. It was a heady feeling.

Ty managed a careless shrug, teasing him with glimpses of creamy shoulders and the tops of her breasts. Her hair was slicked down the back of her head and when it hit the water it spread out around her and she could feel it tickle her back, sides and arms as she continued to tread water. "I was sore from the fight earlier and stressed. I figured this would help me unwind." She saw how he hovered by the shore and an impulsive idea occurred, "You could join me…if you want."


	18. Chapter 18

**_A/N: Sorry to have left you all on a cliffhanger for so long!!! I really mean it! I meant to have this installment out a lot sooner than this, so I hope y'all forgive me and keep reading and reviewing…specially when there is some sexiness involved!!! But, here is the next installment…be warned there is MATURE MATERIAL IN THIS CHAPTER! _**

Gojyo chuckled low in his throat. "Gorgeous, you sure do know how to tempt a man. But I'm gonna have to pass." He slowly reclined on the blanket of grass. His eyes beckoned her to come to him.

Playfully she tossed her head, enjoying this sensual battle of wills. "Why? Are you scared of me?" She ducked below the surface and re-emerged closer to the shore.

Gojyo inhaled on his cigarette, enjoying the stunning creature gliding through the water like a nymph. "Honey, I'm a smart man, and when it comes to women we always have a healthy sense of fear. You guys are tricky."

"Then you are a smart man indeed." She pitched her voice lower to try and drawl back to him. "But healthy sense of fear aside, you're a kappa—a water sprite—this is your element and you shouldn't have any trouble coming out here to meet me." She bantered back, loving the blush that rode high on her cheekbones. They had never openly flirted like this before, even when they were drunk. This was more than flirting, Ty realized, this was the beginnings of foreplay. Something they had never done because her defenses were always in place; except for tonight. There were questions that needed answers and she had yet to discern who the true enemy was and her purpose, but that could all wait until tomorrow. Tonight was hers.

Gojyo grinned saucily, "That may be, but I'll let you in on a little secret." He sat up and crooked his finger, all the while making a show of looking around them to make sure they were alone. "If you come up here, I'll tell you."

Ty smiled, "A girl is supposed to play hard to get. I think you can tell me from there while I stay here."

Gojyo relented, "Well, I suppose, but could you swim up here a little closer? So I don't have to announce it to the whole forest?" He smiled cajolingly.

Ty rolled her eyes, but complied. "Oh all right," She swam, then pulled herself along the bottoms of the water so she was visible from the shoulders up, and kept the rest of her body in the water. "Now spill it, kappa." She added in mock sternness.

Gojyo was about a meter and a half away from her. He still shook his head, "I guess the world-and you- will never know, unless you come closer." He waggled his eyebrows.

Ty had noticed that while she had been baiting him, he had dug through her things to spread her bath sheet across the grass next to her bag. She laughed and replied, "Nuh-uh. I know that look; nothing good can come from that."

Gojyo rose and walked—rather swaggered—nearer to the water, "Honey, nothing _but_ good comes from this look."

He looked like he spoke the truth. There was the glint of wicked promise lurking in his steady gaze. He gestured to where her bath sheet lay ready and raised an eyebrow in her direction, beckoning.

She wasn't ready to give in just yet. "Nuh-uh." She scoffed dryly. For some reason he did not want to come into the water, so she judged herself safe from his arms, her heart safe from his touch.

That was until she blinked to get some water out of her eyes and she felt something—no some_one_—suddenly grab and carry her. When she opened her eyes she found herself lying on the bath sheet with an intent Gojyo stretched out above her. Her eyes grew large as she looked from the lake to Gojyo and back again; mouth forming a small "○" of surprise. She tried to recover—and ended up looking like a landed trout.

"If I had known how much fun fishing could be, I would have done more of it growing up."

Ty let that comment pass, "How did you do that? I blinked and you…from here…"

"Let's try to speak in complete sentences here, sweetheart." Gojyo wryly commented.

Ty just peered up at him, "How did you get to me so quickly? I was a good five yards away from you. There's no way you could have moved that fast!"

Gojyo gave her a patient look, and responded chidingly as if he were addressing a child, "Yes there is a way, Tyra. We're part demon; not completely human. And you, m'dear, are thinking too much like the human you believed yourself to be." He bent down and planted a loud smacking kiss on her still bewildered lips.

"I'm trying to adjust as best as I can, but it's hard to change a lifetime of ways and beliefs." She muttered peevishly.

"Well, lucky for you that you have the perfect teacher for the job; not that shoddy training that Hakkai and the chimp taught ya." Gojyo polished his fingernails on his shirt.

Ty was very much aware that while Gojyo was completely clothed, there was not a stitch on her. She resisted the urge to hide herself as she stared up into Gojyo's intense gaze. "So, what do you intend to do?" Her voice sounded breathy-expectant-even to her own ears.

A slow smile spread across his face in a look that assured her that he had something up his sleeve. "Demon Training 101: The Graduate Course."

Ty blinked. "Graduate Course" She shivered slightly in the cool night air trying to tamp down her feelings of disappointment. "I should go get dressed then."

A warm, but firm hand on her shoulder pushed her back down onto the bath sheet. "Not so fast, gorgeous. The Graduate Course is for _mature_ students only. And you are properly equipped for this training session." His gaze raked hotly over her body and he winked.

A grin found its way onto her face, "Am I now?"

Gojyo nodded, his hair partially blocked her moonlit view of his face as he leaned over her. "Hakkai taught you auras and qi." His lanky frame settled itself slowly on top of hers with every word that was softly spoken. "Goku taught you sight, smell, and hearing." She felt her arms wrap around his back even as her body welcomed his weight. "But he forgot the two most important senses." He whispered fiercely.

Lost in the new turn of events, Ty was drawing a blank on the remaining two senses, "Like what?" She breathed.

A light brush of his finger down her cheek felt as light as a feather's brush. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Touch."

He nuzzled the hollow of her neck and leisurely ran his tongue up to her jawbone. "And taste."

Ty shivered again, but this time it had nothing to do with the night air. It had everything to do with the man hovering above her. She forced a bravado she didn't have and reveled in the rush of desire and anticipation coursing through her veins. She tossed her head defiantly and asked, "How do you propose to conduct this training?"

Gojyo arched an eyebrow, "Oh, I have a few ideas."

"Well Sensei, no time like the present." She spread her arms wide in a welcoming manner, grin wide on her face.

Instead of rising to the occasion, as she expected, he instead slid away from her with a calculating frown on his face. "Patience, darling."

"Yeah, it's a good Guns 'n Roses song, what of it?" She asked, confused at his withdrawal and wanted to lighten the moment with some levity.

He brushed her comment off with a shake of long bloody locks that she begged to run her fingers through…she knew they would be as soft as they looked. "I do believe the first lesson is going to be patience." Suddenly a wolfish grin spread across his face. He slowly reached up for his headband and untied the knot in the back. As he pulled it away from his head, Ty was mesmerized by the silky fall of his hair. However, the trance disappeared as Gojyo casually shrugged out of his jacket.

Ty's mouth went dry as he pulled the white t-shirt up over his head to reveal a golden expanse of toned chest and abs. Not even the pale moonlight could diminish the coppery hue of tanned skin, or the paler lines of scars from lord knows how many old fights.

He intercepted her look and chuckled softly. "Glad to see you like the scenery."

"Breathtaking." Ty murmured and found that her hand was reaching up of its own volition to gently wander across his belly causing him to suck in a breath.

"Ahh, gorgeous, you do wonders for my ego." He drawled and brought her wandering hand up to his lips and brushed a kiss gently across her knuckles. "However, tonight isn't about me, it is about your training. Are you ready?" A devilish glint shone in his vermillion eyes.

Ty arched an eyebrow, proud to the last. "Oh, I think I'm game."

Gojyo nodded and brought forth his discarded headband. "Well then, let's begin by covering up those beautiful eyes of yours, darlin'."

Ty's heart gave a wild leap. A blindfold? This was new to her. He certainly was thorough; the cloth was tightly tied behind her head and she felt his fingers on her side, gently guiding her to roll onto her stomach. Even though she was not tethered in any way, she felt completely helpless and surrendered to his touch. As her anticipation built, she realized she felt at ease with him, there was no place else she would rather be. But he suddenly withdrew his touch, and she started to wonder where he went when the shock of moisture on the small of her back caused her to arch up. Had that been his tongue?

A husky chuckle, "Easy, gorgeous, training just started." A low murmur followed by a soft touch running down the back of her thigh.

"No no," Ty found her voice was cracking, "I'm fine. Pl…please continue."

"Gladly." Then he was silent once more.

She felt the brush of his hair on the back of her left knee. She gasped at the difference in feeling. "What was that, gorgeous?" His voice was low.

She struggled to form words, "What?"

A low laugh sounded from behind her. "This is your training, gorgeous, you will tell me what caused each particular sensation every time you feel it," A laugh turned into a low groan when he continued, "and if you get it wrong, you will be punished."

Ty gasped, "P-p-unished?" Even questioning, the word came out pleading, shocking her. Surely she'd never be the type to be into this?

A low rumble of agreement vibrated near her as he casually delved his tongue into the sensitive shell of her ear. "Either way, you're gonna enjoy your training, gorgeous. I know I am going to." With that he nipped the sensitive lobe of her ear. "What was that?" His voice grew stern.

"Ah—teeth, I mean taste." Ty moaned. This was certainly something that was new to her. She was relaxed yet tuned tighter than a bow string. He attacked randomly and without warning. A touch of a finger on her arm, a brush of his hair on the arch of her feet, and heavens above, a lave of his tongue along her inner thigh. She lay on her stomach, quivering with feeling and aware only of the man above her. She wanted him to continue playing his game, but yet she wanted more. She wanted him.

A soft massage of her lower back found her arching into it and gasping. "Gojyo, more."

A swift, firm slap to her ass brought her eyes wide and almost up to all fours, if it wasn't for the warm hand holding her down between the shoulder blades. "What the fuck, kappa?" She spat.

"'Gojyo, more,' is NOT the right answer for what I did to you." A sharp smack to her _other_ cheek caused her to flinch again. "And you can't ask any questions, only I can." The last sentiment was followed by a smug male laugh. "I never thought training could be so fun." He gave her another slap that stung and excited her at the same time then gave a wistful little groan. "But, as much fun as this is, no one should work so hard all the time. Not when there's so much to play with."

She gasped and shivered convulsively as his tongue ran up from waist to shoulder blade and ended up with a little nip with his teeth at the curve of her shoulder. Before she could relax, his hand cupped her derrière and gave it a little squeeze. She felt herself whimpering at the caress to her reddened skin. Hands ran down her legs and massaged her feet and she lay there, groaning, yet gasping when a hot mouth enveloped her big toe. It tickled yet it stirred a fire already blazing and growing hotter by the second.

"Go…jyo." Ty whimpered, feeling like her entire body was aware of every minute detail. "P…lease."

A low chuckle, rife with intent, seemed to come at her from everywhere. "Please what, gorgeous? Is training so hard?" She had the satisfaction of hearing _his _voice crack. This whole process had affected him as much as her. She reveled in the satisfaction as she rolled onto her back once more and reached for him.

"Love me." Her words were plainly stated yet a current of feelings passed from one to the other. She wanted to put the fire out that he had started in both of them, but she wanted him. Everything that he stood for, that he hated, loved, even feared. She wanted Sha Gojyo. She didn't care about his past, that he hadn't told her. She loved the man he was now. She knew that her revelation of her feelings was going to scare the shit out of her tomorrow, but tonight. This night was hers. "Please, _elskede_, I need you." She murmured beseechingly. **_(A/N: elskede is Norwegian for "beloved"…if I have my mother's word and translation correct)_**

Gojyo was there in an instant, cradling her. "Ah gorgeous, you already had me." He bent to capture her mouth with his as his hands roamed her body and she roamed over his…

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Ty cracked an eye open when the forest began to turn gray with the approach of dawn. She yawned and stretched, careful not to disturb the rangy warm body lying next to her. Even though it was summer, the nights were still cool, so when she got up to get dressed her breath misted faintly from her mouth. Shivering, she threw on some fresh clothes and grabbed her toiletries from her bag. Walking down to the water's edge she was deep in thought. As she washed her face, and brushed her teeth she felt her face flame at the scandalous things she and the kappa had done! She buried her face in her washrag and groaned. She had never been that…adventurous in bed in her life! She didn't know how Gojyo did it, but he seemed to have perceived that she had a wild streak in her and had coaxed it out. She had never been so wanton before. How was she going to face him in the cold light of day? What was even worse was that the other guys were going to know where he had spent the night; especially when she couldn't stop blushing even to herself for five minutes. She groaned again into the rag she still held to her face.

"You going to come up for air soon there, or are you planning on suffocating yourself? I KNOW last night wasn't THAT bad." A husky voice drawled.

Ty froze. Gods, it was Gojyo and he had spied her moment of distress. She mentally quailed. She hated the first interaction between a man and a woman after a night of sex. It was always awkward, no matter how a person played it.

"Hello? Gorgeous, you all right?" Gojyo's voice turned from bantering to concerned and she felt his hand on her back as he knelt down beside her.

"Umm…fine." She mumbled through the rag. She was grateful because it hid her flaming face from his inquisitive stare. Of course there was the drawback that it made her look like a dumbass.

"You sure? I wasn't too rough with you, was I?" The warm hand stayed on her back, while the other hand slowly yet surely pulled her hands that held the rag to her face down.

Timidly, Ty brought her eyes up to meet his. She could feel her cheeks burning still as she tried a hesitant smile. "Hi." She murmured.

"Hi yourself." Gojyo quipped back with a smirk. "Now, are you going to explain what the whole 'Talk to the Rag' act was for?"

Ty found herself chuckling. "It was me being a dumbass."

"I got that much, but _why_ were you being a dumbass?"

"Umm…I'm not going to say." She smiled sweetly in his general direction.

Gojyo's jaw dropped, "Uh. Okay?" The hand on her back had stopped its soothing circle on her back.

She chose that moment to rise, "Well, its getting late, I'm sure that damn monk is impatient to get going." She walked back to her bag, studiously avoiding the sight of the rumpled bath sheet until she grabbed it at the last minute and hastily shoved it in her bag. She spared a glance in Gojyo's direction and saw that he was smoking a cigarette by the lakeside. She shrugged off the uneasy feeling she had of this not going the way she had expected. She would always treasure last night, but in the cold light of day her responsibilities and tasks hung over her head like Damocles' Sword. She had no time or room for getting involved in a relationship with Gojyo.

As she straightened, she realized where her train of thought had led. Relationship? Don't make her laugh! She barely knew anything about him, yet she had blabbed her whole life story to him throughout the past few days. Not to mention, he had a job to do, another fact that she didn't have the details to. The least of her worries should be a relationship that was doomed from the start.

But she was thinking of it nonetheless. Last night could not be ignored, and she would be cheapening its memory if she did so. The connection she had experienced with Gojyo last night was the first time she had ever felt welcomed, a part of something. She felt no fear of being hurt by him, and knew that she would never have to fear that. But she knew she was going to hurt Gojyo…and in doing that would cause her unbearable pain. However, that was a bridge to be crossed in the future.

She hovered by the lakeside, enjoying the view of the coming dawn from the direction in which they had traveled. She lowered her lashes and peered at the silent, contemplative man standing at her side. He too was looking to the east, appearing to enjoy the sunrise as well. The scent of tobacco, leather, and male wafted over to her nose and she suppressed the urge to sigh from the memories of last night.

"This is kinda nice." He spoke softly.

She looked fully up at him, "What is?"

"Being able to enjoy a quiet sunrise with someone I care about. It doesn't happen much at all, in fact, the last time was when I lived with Hakkai. These days, that damn loudmouth monkey is yellin and complainin about something at all hours of the day." He inhaled on his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "And if there was some nightly company I was usually gone by the time dawn came."

Ty was marginally shocked that he would admit to her that he had had other women, but anyone with two brain cells could assume that. Look at the man! Sex on two legs barely began to cover it! And while she felt the green monster called jealousy wrap itself around her heart and squeeze, she reminded herself that she had no ties on him, or he on her. "Well, I suppose we had better go saddle up." She turned to walk back to camp when a hand on her arm stopped and turned her to him again.

Another hand cupped her jaw and turned her face up to his and she saw crimson hair and eyes sparkling in the morning sunlight. "Tyra." He drew her close in an enveloping hug and buried his face in her hair. Her own eyes went wide as she slowly returned the hug.

As they walked back into camp, they were met with the sounds of breaking camp. Goku was packing the tent and random supplies in the back of the jeep, as Hakkai was dishing up two servings of breakfast. Sanzo was reading his paper that he had stolen from the last town they had been through. He lowered a corner of the paper to peer at them, then with a derisive snort shook the paper out and continued to read in silence.

"There you are, we were wondering where you two had gone off to." Hakkai's voice was genial and there was an implied tone letting them know that everyone knew where they had been.

Ty blushed, "Yeah, well, the water was so nice last night I decided to take a swim, then fell asleep on the shore." She gave a short laugh and scrubbed the back of her neck with a hand, then saw the plates, "Is that breakfast? I am starving!" She took the plate that was given her and sat down to wolf the food down.

"Yeah, eat up; you'll need your strength if you are going to keep the kappa serviced on a regular basis." Was the comment that was murmured from behind the paper.

Ty paused with fork to her mouth as she heard the comment. Gojyo jumped up angrily, "What the FUCK, monk? That was dirty pool, even for you!"

Hakkai agreed, "Sanzo, Gojyo's right that was low and uncalled for. I don't think Ty deserved that."

Sanzo stood up and snarled, "I don't give a fuck what she deserves! She is a liability! It's obvious that she is needed for the resurrection of Gyumaoh, and I shouldn't have to justify my remarks and decisions to the likes of you three." He paused, straightened his robes and tucked his guns into the folds of his robes. "I think you all need to remember why the hell we're out here; it's not a fucking field day. She" He pointed to Ty, who had stood up, breakfast forgotten, "may be the key to stopping these bastards from destroying Shangri-La, and that is the _only_ reason she is here."

Ty quivered with hurt and anger. The cold light of day had revealed all of her misgivings, fears, and truths that she had pondered by twilight. She was not needed, nor wanted here. The statement had just been spoken plainly and true by the grand Prick himself. Even if she despised the holier-than-thou bastard, she couldn't help but admire the fact that he stays his course. Something she had never been able to do. It didn't mean that she liked the fact that fate decided to ostracize her from yet another group, but it was par for the course. She took her pain, hate, rage, and locked it down deep inside her and turned and walked to the jeep. She offered no rebuttal or refute to Sanzo's implications. He had a job to do, they all did, and so did she. To find out who she was.

She met up with Goku by the Jeep; he was tying down her and Gojyo's bags. She wearily crawled into the back seat and took her place. She felt eyes on her and looked over and saw Goku looking at her worriedly.

"Is everything all right, Ty?" He climbed up beside her.

She felt her sigh quaver and tried mercilessly to hold onto her hurt and tears, "Oh, the usual kiddo, your Sanzo doesn't like me very much." She felt her voice hitch on that last part.

Suddenly two warm arms reached for her and it was _Goku_ that was holding _her_. "Please don't cry, Ty. I don't know why Sanzo is so mean to you. I know I like you!"

That was the straw that broke her control. She sobbed into the younger man's shirt as he held her and started to stroke her hair. "It's okay, Ty, please, cheer up. Aww…damnit, where's that kappa! He's the one you love, so he should hold you."

Ty straightened and looked at Goku, she sniffed, then asked with eyes wide, "What did you say?"

Goku got confused, "I uh…said that Gojyo should be the one holding you, since he's the one you love, although I don't know why you love a pervy kappa!" Goku peered up at her when she gasped. "What? I can hold you some more, you look like you needed a hug."

"Is it that obvious?" Ty whispered.

"That you needed a hug? Yeah, it was pretty bad, you were sniffling an'" Goku started but Ty cut him off.

"No, not that! Is it that obvious that I love him?" She muttered half to herself, and half to Goku, frightened of the answer.

Goku brightened up, "It is to me! You're eyes get all big and shiny when you look at him, an' I dunno…you always spend time with him in camp, an, he's always hugging you!"

Ty buried her face in her hands, pain, embarrassment, and a new feeling that had been hiding for sometime now revealed itself. She _did_ love him…and it was more than just the sex. She groaned and clenched her teeth. Wonderful, this made it all _so_ much easier to leave them!

"Yo monkey! What are you doing to Ty?" Gojyo hailed as he walked up to the jeep.

"I'm not doing ANYTHING! She's sad, so I talked to her, what YOU'RE supposed to do, since you all are cozy!" Goku shouted and jumped off the jeep, "I'm gonna go see if there is any breakfast left before we leave, I'm hungry!"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: okay…so I kind of know where I am going with this, kind of not. Its pretty fly by the seat of my pants and write whatever the pen dictates….I just want to see what y'all think of it.**

**_Proxy Note from nimblnymph: Greetings! While I don't have any part of writing this story, I'm posting it for Shin-chan. All I've added are page breaks. No text was changed, nor plot. Please don't kill me for helping a dear friend out._**

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Ty was quiet in the jeep. Gojyo had tried talking to her, teasing her, even tickling her in the side, but she remained withdrawn and pensive. All she did was stare out in front of her and didn't say much to anyone. The behavior lasted for a few days.

Hakkai had noticed all of this. He looked back to see how Gojyo was taking it. His eyes widened when he saw the red head glaring balefully at Sanzo's back. Hakkai flicked his gaze from the side mirror and Gojyo to where the holy man sat next to him. Sanzo could have been made from stone for all of his movement. He sat there, smoke in hand, staring intently ahead. Hakkai didn't doubt that Sanzo was aware of the taller man's animosity, and the fact that he didn't respond to it had to be especially galling for Gojyo.

But Ty, now what was he to do about her? Hakkai didn't know her as well as the others so if he were to try and cheer her up it would be an undertaking. He didn't even know her favorite food. She had been stuck with the four of them for quite some time now, traveling ever westward and away from her home and he hadn't even made an effort to really get to know her. Dark brows furrowed in thought as he continued to drive, occasionally glancing back to the stoic girl in the back seat.

Ty didn't know what to do or think. The scene from a few mornings ago still played through her mind's eye as she realized that she was in the way yet again. She was stuck with some people that didn't want or need her. She gritted her teeth-wait she was wrong, Gojyo wanted her, but it wasn't to be.

"Hey, Ty?" Goku asked in a small voice.

That snapped her out of her thoughts, "Yeah, Goku?" She looked over to see the boy unusually stoic and quiet. He looked up and she saw the worry glimmering in those golden depths.

"Did Gojyo do something to make you sad? Because if he did, I can throw him out of the jeep for ya!" He gave her a clever grin that chased some of the worry, but not all, out of his eyes.

Ty couldn't help but smirk a little, Gojyo took that comment as was his usual…"Why you stinky little monkey! Why the hell would I do something to Ty?!" Gojyo leaned behind Ty to smack Goku upside the head. Goku, in turn, squawked and swung back.

Gojyo easily caught Goku's fist and flung it back at him, laughing. The sound made goosebumps appear on Ty's arms and she shivered with the newfound awareness of him. Oh why did she have to go and get involved with Gojyo?! She'd done her best to try and ignore him the past couple days, ever since Sanzo's snarky comment. Even now, she barely resisted burying her face in her hands, but she couldn't stop her right hand from curling into a fist.

A larger warm hand enveloped hers. Startled, she looked up into Gojyo's liquid red eyes, he'd quit tormenting Goku and she hadn't registered that fact. Before she realized it, she found herself relaxing and smiling up into that handsome face.

"Tch." Sanzo snorted.

The warm moment evaporated like mist. She kept a hold of Gojyo's hand, yet returned her expression to the blank emotionless mask from before. When were they going to get to the next town?

Gojyo was struggling to keep his temper in check. He was still pissed as all hell over Sanzo's treatment of Ty. He had had no right to say that to her in the first place. Ty's being with them was no deterrent to the mission; Sanzo was just pissed because he didn't know where she fit into the whole resurrection picture. That had to be it. Sure Sanzo was curt and a dick to everyone he met, but Gojyo had never seen this level of open hostility from Monk-boy.

He looked down at Ty and noticed she was still gritting her teeth. Gojyo squeezed the fist that he'd placed his hand over. Slowly the tension eased out of the fist, relaxed and he smoothly laced his fingers through hers. He realized he'd been staring intently at their entwined hands for several minutes before he averted his gaze out the side of the jeep.

They pulled into a larger city around dusk that day; a city that was bigger than her little college town. They found a hotel that was surprisingly a bit nicer than their normal inns. They checked into their rooms only after Sanzo got into another argument with Ty. She finally threw her card down on the table.

"I'll pay for my own goddamn room so I don't have to ruffle the poor Monk's feathers." She told the attendant.

He merely raised his eyebrows and took her card and started the check-in process.

"You should pay for double occupancy because we all know where Gojyo will be 'sleeping'. The sneer in that last word left no doubt in anyone's mind what Sanzo had meant by it.

"Fuck off, Sanzo." Ty snarled harshly.

The hotel clerk gasped, "Such language is not fitting in a young lady." He looked worriedly at her.

Ty glared, "Who the fuck do you think you are? My mother? Now give me the damn keys to my room and my card!"

He handed her the items and as she was turning away she herd him mutter, "What an uncouth woman."

She gritted her teeth even harder and strode down the labyrinth corridors to her room. It was chafing to know that she was right across the hall from Sanzo and Goku's room. With a last one-fingered salute to Sanzo's door, Ty let herself into her room.

She pressed her back to the door and let out a heavy, heartfelt sigh of relief. This was the first time she'd had some privacy from the boys for some time now. They hadn't really passed through any towns big enough to warrant an inn before coming to this one so they had camped out more often than not.

Slowly she pushed herself away from the door and walked into the bathroom. She turned the shower on as hot as it could go, dragged her bag into the room with her, stripped and stepped under the pounding spray.

She willed each and every muscle to relax, but because she'd been holding it all in, they refused. She turned her face into the spray, planted her hands on the wall of the shower and soon her hair was hanging down around her face in a long wet curtain. She didn't know when it was that tears started mixing in with the shower water.

Muscles gradually relaxed and she sank almost gracefully to her knees in the tub, shoulders wracking with her sobs as she cried for a reason that was unknown even to her. It could have been a combination of things. Things that individually might have been enough to deal with, but lumped together had ganged up on her to the point that it was unbearable. Time was forgotten there in the spray of water and slide of tears.

She found herself curled up in the tub with the shower water beginning to turn cold. She stared at the hair that resembled blood as it trailed down along her body in wet ropes. She suddenly missed her chestnut locks that had signified her normalness-her humanity. This was the reason for her exclusion from society. Funny how she'd always fought to be different all those years growing up. Now that she'd gotten that wish she just wanted to blend in again. A humorless smile played at her lips. It was bloody ironic-all of it.

A knock at the bathroom door both startled and angered her. She was the only one who was supposed to have access to this room; this was supposed to be her sanctuary for the night! Whoever had deprived her of privacy was going to die a slow and painful death! She shut off the water and angrily jerked on the white terry cloth robe provided by the hotel. She'd think of the damage her bank account had received by renting this expensive room later. She jerked the door open to reveal a certain red-headed demon standing outside the bathroom. "What?!" She roared.

"Holy shit lady, what's your problem?!" Gojyo laughed and threw his hands up in a surrender gesture.

"Oh. It's just you." Ty muttered irritably and promptly shut the door in his face, once again sequestering herself in the bathroom.

"Hey! Whaddya mean 'it's just me'?" Gojyo feigned outrage. "I know! You're mad at me. What for?"

"For breaking into my room." Ty shouted through the door. She dressed quickly and heard him mutter, "Why is that a bad thing?" as she threw her wet hair into a long braid down her back. A black Jack Daniels baby-doll tee shirt, jeans and her flat toed biker boots finished out the ensemble. She yanked the door open again and brushed passed him.

"It's a bad thing because I wanted to be alone." She dropped her duffel unceremoniously onto the king size bed.

"Can I be alone with you?" Gojyo waggled his eyebrows.

Ty refused to be amused by his antics. "No. Now go." She pushed him towards the door.

Gojyo captured her wrist in one hand and brought her up to his chest. He tilted her face back with his free hand to peer intently at her face.

"Gojyo," Ty growled, "Let go."

"You've been crying." He said softly.

Ty really began to struggle now. The strength in his arms and heat from his body reminded her of the other night, made her want to bury her face in the crook of his neck and tell him of her worries. The idea of it teased and tempted her even now as she refused it. She didn't want to or need to explain herself to him! "No, I got some soap in my eye. It's nothing, now let go."

A knock at the door saved her. She broke free from Gojyo's grasp and opened the door to find Hakkai standing there. "Hi." She said.

"Ty, I- Oh! I didn't know you had company." Hakkai glanced from Gojyo's frown to Ty's cloudy expression. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I have decided to stay in this town for a day or two to relax and re-supply."

"Oh yeah? How'd Mr. High and Mighty take that?" Gojyo guffawed.

A small smile played at Hakkai's lips that gave Ty the chills. "Oh, he'll manage."

"Remind me never to piss you off, man." Gojyo shuddered.

"Furthermore, I reminded Sanzo that Jeep was carrying extra weight and even though he doesn't like the delay, he'll manage. Also, this gives you some time to do something that you would enjoy, Ty." Hakkai left the meaning in his remark as an unasked question in an attempt to try to get to know her interests.

Ty tried not to flinch when being described as 'extra weight'. She shrugged and moved to brush past the dark haired demon. "Cool. Well, I'm headed out."

Hakkai looked from Ty to Gojyo, "Well then, allow Gojyo to accompany," He felt a bit disappointed that she wasn't going to give any hints to him about herself.

"No Hakkai," Ty interrupted, "I'm fine. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself. I do not want, or need, Gojyo's assistance." It was harsh sounding even to her own ears, but she craved solitude right now.

"Be that as it may, Ty." Hakkai continued but Gojyo stopped him.

"No man, let her go. She needs some time on her own." He smiled gently at Ty's shocked expression.

"Thanks Gojyo," Ty softly responded.

Hakkai gave a small nod. It did seem that she needed some personal space. His attempts at cheering her spirits would have to wait. "All right, I'll leave it be for now." He smiled at her.

"In gratitude I will take a night of sweet luvin'!" Gojyo waggled his eyebrows as he threw an arm across Ty's shoulders.

Ty growled and ducked out of Gojyo's reach, "A nice comment one time and a pervy kappa remark the next. I think you like the pain of me kicking your ass too much water sprite!" She felt herself grin despite trying otherwise.

"Well I know a certain lady who can't keep her hands off of me. I'm just being helpful in giving her an excuse."

"ARGH!" Ty groaned, "You're incorrigible!" She spun on her heel and stalked out down the hallway.

Gojyo watched her leave and turned back to Hakkai. "Incorrigible. Is that a good thing?"

He grew more confused when all Hakkai did was burst out laughing while slapping Gojyo on the back.

Ty shivered as the early twilight air greeted her upon leaving the hotel. It made her miss the leather jacket that was still up in her room, but not enough to go back up there and get it. The need to be alone overrode all other thoughts, including those of dressing for the weather. So, as she walked, she hunched her shoulders, stuffed her hands in her pockets, shuffled along and lost herself in thought.

Or tried to was more the operative phrase. The feel of eyes watching her made the spot between her shoulder blades itch something fierce. Even with her hair darker because it was wet, the street lights illuminated the scarlet hues and revealed her eyes to the city. People either studiously avoided her entire presence-sometimes walking wide around her or crossing the street-to gaping slack jawed at her or whispering savagely behind hands and pointing.

She didn't care, she did, but she fought it in vain. She was different, she knew that now, and that was to be feared and hated. She hated that it had to come down to that, but she fought to accept it, and found that a large part of her had already accepted her differences much to her surprise. Sure, she could wish that she would fit back into society but if wishes were horses then beggars would ride.

Ty kept walking, past hotels, restaurants, shops and boutiques that were all closed for the night and soon came to the club district. Taverns and dance clubs rubbed shoulders with the other; the same as the rich and poor inhabitants of this city rubbed shoulders in line trying to get into the establishments. She ducked her head down and continued to walk past the crowds and velvet ropes, seeking not a loud and crowded bar to lose herself in, but someplace that felt a little more like home.

Ty stopped when, to her right, she heard the haunting strains of an old Eagles tune. She looked up and saw a tavern where "Hotel California" was coming from. She turned and began to walk towards the door, noticing for the first time that she'd lost track of her surroundings.

She was a mile or two from the hotel where they were staying. Already she felt like she could breathe easier and relax. It looked like she was at the tail end of the district that housed the entertainment places, what it looked like beyond the Lyin' Eyes Saloon was mostly commercial, some residential areas. It was quieter here, which meant the crowds obviously didn't flock to this place.

Inside she found a long mahogany bar that was scarred with age. A lone barkeep wiped at the surface in a desultory fashion. There were about twenty individuals in the place and the majority of them were male. All in all it wasn't the typical family friendly establishment.

They all glanced up when she had walked in, then resumed whatever activity that had them entertained prior to her entrance. Ty let out a sigh of relief to be accepted and left the hell alone for once. She walked up to the bar and ordered a Beam on the rocks. This looked like it would be her kind of place.

Hotel California switched to, ironically, the song Witchy Woman and as Ty chuckled self-derisively, some of the other patrons edged away from her. All except one brave man. He plunked down on the seat next to her reeking of liquor, smoke, and stale sweat. Ty wrinkled her nose, for the first time regretting her heightened senses.

"Well hey sweetness, what brings you here?" He asked in the condescending tone that all self-centered men used when wanting to hit on a woman. He obviously thought he was the gods' gift to women.

"My feet." Ty answered calmly, knowing the drunk wouldn't get it.

She was right, he--who wasn't much older than she--early thirties-blink confusedly at her question. She stifled the urge to laugh. He gave a glance at her feet then looked back up to her with a big smile. "Well, whatever it was, fate must be kind, because it brought you to me."

Ty rolled her eyes. She'd walked over a mile to get away from a lecherous-yet cute-dumbass only to have another one try to latch onto her? "Look pal, it's not fate. I just want to have a drink and be left alone."

"But you don't have to be alone. I'm here." He smiled gamely and trailed a hand up and down her arm.

Ty shrugged out of his reach. She didn't see shim; rather she remembered Gojyo's hopeful face of wanting to 'be alone with her.' She shook her head to clear it and took a swallow of Beam to make sure the image stayed gone. "I said no." Her voice went flat.

The man's face sunk with disappointment. But like most drunks his moods were lightning quick. She kept him in sight out of the corner of her eye. She watched the disappointment fade to anger. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"What do I gotta do to get a piece, huh? You're pretty enough for a whore, even if you have weird coloring-wait-red hair, eyes. You're one of them half-breed bitches aincha? What do you think you're doin' hanging around with us humans?"

Ty sighed. She didn't ask for this, really she didn't have the energy to fight and she didn't want to leave. At least when she was with Gojyo, or the monk and company rude people like this generally left her alone. She started to dig for her money in her pocket when a voice answered from behind her.

"Because this is where I told her I'd meet her."

Ty whipped around when it finally registered on her 'aura detector' that there was a demon present, "Kougaiji?!" She gasped.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Okay, sorry if Kougaiji comes out a little out of character…he's a hard bugger to write!!! But the story continues!

_Proxy Note: Posted on behalf of Shinigamis Wrath by nimblnymph. Untouched in anyway._

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The man, drunk though he may be, was observant. "You're a demon!" He sputtered, slamming his beer down on the bar hard enough to slosh some over the rim of his mug.

"Thanks for the brilliant observation." Ty muttered. She looked away from the drunk to eye Kougaiji who stood less than three feet from her and she didn't know his intentions. To say she was wary of him didn't begin to cover it. "What do you want?" She asked slowly, as she scanned the bar room for possible exits and possible weapons.

"Relax, Ty, I didn't come here to fight. I see you looking for an exit, but you don't need to. I'm here to talk, nothing more." He didn't come any closer to her, almost knowing that she wouldn't appreciate any crowding of her space just then.

Ty turned her gaze from Kougaiji's impassive face back to the drunk, who had been watching the conversation. He had been leering at her and as she caught his lecherous sneer, her own temper rose to the surface. "Get lost pal, my date's here." She said, playing along with Kougaiji's lie of a meeting.

Kougaiji raised his eyebrows at her tone, but said nothing. He looked satisfied that she was going along with his wishes. He took a marginal step forward, still not trying to crowd her.

The drunk had no such notion of keeping quiet. His bloodshot eyes looked from Kougaiji to Ty, "What the hell?! Humans ain't good enough fer ya?! Takes a demon ta get the job done?" He stood up and grabbed Ty's left arm, "I should show ya that a human can drill ya better'n a dirty demon…"

Ty looked down at his offending hand and spoke slowly, enunciating each word. "Get. Your. Hand. Off. Me. Or lose it."

"Do you want—" Kou started but Ty cut him off.

"You. Hush." She barked at the youkai.

"Can't stand to know a human's right, eh half-breed?" The man jerked Ty towards his chest, intent on claiming his spoils of victory.

Ty thanked her lucky stars that he'd grabbed her left bicep. She stepped with the momentum caused by the drunk and buried her right fist deep into the guy's beer gut. She added all of her strength into the blow and had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes go wide, then roll up in the back of his head. He went limp as consciousness left him and he sagged in Ty's arms. She was relieved, she had hit him hard enough to bypass the puking stage that a punch to the gut usually entails, and went straight for KO. She struggled and got him seated on his stool yet again and splayed his upper body on the bar.

The bartender noticed the activity and wandered over, "Is there a problem here?" He took in the passed out drunk, Ty, and Kougaiji who still had an expressionless look on his face.

"Yeah, I think this guy's had too much to drink." Ty gestured to the body.

The bartender looked closer "Yup—that's Pete. He can be a handful sometimes, so I hope you didn't have any trouble with him, Miss…?" He looked up at Ty.

"The name's Ty," She felt herself smiling with the inside joke, "and he's nothing I couldn't handle." Before the bartender got to thinking about that response, she continued, "Do you have a table or an area where my friend and I could speak in private?" She turned her smile up a watt or two in voltage in order to charm.

The poor man looked from Kougaiji to Ty, sputtering a bit before blushing at Ty's cajoling smile. "Uhh…"

Kougaiji chose that moment to step in. "That won't be necessary, good sir. We were just about to leave."

Ty's smile faltered as she turned to look at Kou. "We most certainly were not." A thread of unease ran through her that was followed by a hot rush of anger. How dare he just take over?! And as much as she wanted to be free of Sanzo's scorn—she wasn't sure she could trust her safety to Kougaiji. Just what the hell was going on?!

Kougaiji leveled a look at Ty that said 'Just do what I say.' "Don't you remember that we have that appointment?" He placed a hand on her wrist.

Ty looked from the clawed hand on her wrist to the bartender who was watching the situation avidly. He was casting a worried glance at her from time to time. A sudden evil thought flitted through her mind. This guy thought Kougaiji was going to abduct her! The same thought should have crossed her mind, but this didn't feel like abduction, more like a request for compliance. But that didn't mean she couldn't have fun with the poor uptight bastard! "An appointment at nine o'clock at night?" She arched an eyebrow and poured as much disbelief and incredulousness into her tone.

The bartender caught it and responded with, "Look pal, I don't think you have an appointment with the lady. I think you should leave." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and did his best to look intimidating.

Then Kougaiji did something Ty did not expect. He actually gently grasped her hand from where it had rested on the bar, and bowed low over it responding, "Lady Ty, please allow me to accompany you to a more suitable environment in which we may converse." His bangs had fallen across his eyes as he looked up the line of her arm and indigo eyes twinkled with amusement, as if to say "two can play at this game".

Ty's eyes widened. What the seven hells was this man up to? "Lady?" The bartender asked, now confused.

"Don't you know a noble of the youkai court when you see them, mister?" Kougaiji continued in a mocking tone.

"Noble?" The bartender actually squeaked and bowed to both Ty and Kougaiji.

"All right, all right! I'll go with you so quit with the lies, Lord Kougaiji, or explain yourself." She tossed back the rest of her bourbon as the bartender squeaked and prostrated himself even further upon mention of Kou's name. The bartender straightened to find money plus tip for him next to the Lady's empty glass as the tips of Kougaiji's hair disappeared through the door as he and Ty left.

She walked away from the busy taverns and more into the quiet residential neighborhood. The streets were mute, cars parked like silent sentinels along the side.

She could hear the buzzing of insects as they flitted around the individual street lamps. Pale glows from the human's house windows threw shapes of light out onto their front lawns. Some houses she could see in and witnessed the happy little families gathered around televisions watching shows. She walked on, away from those examples of domesticity to somewhere a little more secluded. Kougaiji was a stoic presence behind her and she held any questions and words from him at bay with her wandering.

She finally found a small park with a wide grass covered clearing next to a playground with assorted swings, jungle gym and other equipment. She flopped onto her back with a sigh and stared up at the few stars that were visible through the trees and city lights.

"You just went quiet all of a sudden." Kougaiji said as he stood over her.

She rolled her eyes up to glare at him, "I'm waiting for you to explain why I'm out here with you rather than getting drunk to good old Eagles tunes." She replied rather peevishly.

Kougaiji was uncharacteristically bemused as to how to carry out this conversation. This was going to change both their lives and in what way he didn't know just yet. Also he was going against Lady Gyokumen Koushu's orders by not bringing Ty into custody immediately. But Kou had vowed to himself that he would find out all there was to know about Ty before Koushu ever got her hands on his half sister. He clenched his fists at the thought of that egotistical bitch!

"Kougaiji?" Ty asked quietly. She'd seen the varying emotions play across his face and when she saw the rage, a little thrill of fear ran down her spine. She realized that this may not have been the smartest thing she's done. She was well and truly alone with the powerful youkai prince who had already kicked her ass once.

"Hmm…what? Oh." Kougaiji looked down at her and worked at relaxing his fists. "Be at ease, I'm not going to harm you tonight. I came to talk, nothing else."

Ty was not reassured by his use of the word "tonight" but she let it pass. She would cross that particular bridge if and when she came to it. "So, why do you want to talk?" She asked bluntly, "Because you weren't nearly so friendly the last time I saw you."

Kougaiji refused to explain his actions from their last encounter and so he evaded it. "I came to talk."

"You keep saying that." Ty playfully mentioned. Her fear was fading and was being replaced by amusement. The man was clearly out of his element here. She couldn't help but tease him a little bit. "Have a seat, Red." She patted the grass next to her.

The moniker got the desired response. He arched an eyebrow haughtily and crossed his arms, "Red?" He questioned, amusement glinted through those indigo eyes.

Ty felt her smile widen and her earlier bad mood over Sanzo and his shit fade completely. "Yep! So…you gonna sit, or am I gonna have to crane my neck all night and get a crick in it looking up at you before you work up the courage to say whatever it was you came here to say?"

"You're teasing me." He made it sound part accusation and part disbelief.

"If you want to see it as that, then yeah, I guess I am." The teasing grin would not leave her face.

"Why, what would you call it?" He continued to stand above her and stare down.

Ty paused and clicked a fingernail against her teeth in thought. "Hmm, breaking the ice."

"Breaking the ice?" Kougaiji asked.

Ty rolled her eyes, at least the Sanzo party, with the exception of Sanzo, was a little more laid back than this. "What are you, part parrot? You keep repeating what I say. Yes, breaking the ice, the first few moments, usually in a joking or comical theme that people go through when they are getting to know each other."

"And so that qualifies as breaking the ice," Kougaiji asked, "calling me Red like that?"

Ty narrowed her eyes, "No—that's just my new name for you. This is breaking the ice." With that she gave into the impulse and leg swept him so he fell flat on his back.

His breath left him in a giant whoosh and he landed so hard he grunted. Ty winced. She didn't know he'd been taken that off-guard by her move. He should have seen it coming a mile away…battle hardened warrior her ass! Yet, her eyes went wide. Oh gods, what if he took that as a hostile move against him and she wished to fight him? She didn't want to fight him…she felt like she could get along with him. Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh-.

The sound of his laughter drew her worried gaze to where he lay next to her. With round, dinner plate size eyes she slowly crept up and peered at him. He turned mirth filled eyes towards her.

"The only other one to do that to me is our sister Lirin. Only her excuse was she didn't want to come in for the night from playing with the dragons." He continued to laugh until it faded off into the night.

Ty's breath caught in her throat, "our sister?" She was stuck on that choice of pronoun.

Kougaiji sat up, drew a knee up and laid his arm across it while his other arm braced him from behind. He stared out across the empty playground and said nothing at first. Ty sat up as well and kept her eyes locked on the demon prince. "Kougaji?" She asked tentatively.

"I am on a mission. That is to collect you and bring you to Houtou Castle." He spoke flatly as if reciting something by rote. "I am to do that upon pain of death—for the good of the cause." The last part was said, sarcastically, full of bitterness.

Ty gasped and shrunk back, eyes wide. What was going on with him?

Kougaiji was soon clenching his fist, "I am lord of the youkai in my father's absence, yet I am powerless to stop her." The last word was a guttural growl.

Silently Ty moved away from him and his anger. She'd had enough of male tempers when traveling with Sanzo. She didn't want to get emotional crap shoveled onto her shoulders by Kougaiji as well.

"But I can't obey those orders." He said quietly, still looking away from her. "I can't knowingly hand over my sister to possible harm without knowing why she wants you."

Ty held her breath, did he just say what she thought he said. "Your what?" She whispered. She had wanted to know where she came from; well a big piece of the puzzle had just dropped into her lap.

Kougaiji finally looked at her. "You are the daughter of Gyumaoh, and my half sister."

* * *

Gojyo paced Ty's hotel room. Where was she? It had been several hours since she left and he hadn't heard from her. How dare she leave him behind like this! Oh, he could understand her need for solitude, but what if she ran into another assassin raid, or Kougaiji's roaming band of misfits got her, or a guy who won't take no for an answer takes advantage? The possibilities for her getting her beautiful ass in a sling were endless and she should stay close to him, but noooooo she wanted privacy. He quit his pacing and flopped down on the bed, flipping through the TV channels with frightening speed. And just his luck there wasn't anything on worth watching. Gods! He tossed the remote to his side, rolled off the bed to resume pacing in front of the TV armoire and pausing in his circuit to look out the window of the hotel room down to the street below.

He didn't hear the door open and jumped as an embarrassing squawk escaped his mouth when Hakkai's voice spoke. "Oh my, I take it from your agitated state she hasn't returned yet?"

"What in the blue fuck are you doing, 'Kai, trying to give me a heart attack?" Gojyo snarled. "And no, she's not back yet." He added a bit peevishly.

"Hmm, well I suppose she'll come back by dawn. Or I hope so at any rate." Hakkai joined Gojyo by the window to watch the night traffic move by. "Are you sure you're not hungry? We've already eaten downstairs, but I can have someone bring something up for you." Hakkai added softly, keeping his eyes out the window, but trying to judge his friend's reaction.

"Nah, I'm fine. Besides, the damn chimp would probably intercept the hotel staff and eat everything just to piss me off." Gojyo sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. He'd taken the headband off in the course of the evening and now his hair was unruly and wild from many a finger combing. He really needed a smoke, but this was a non-smoking establishment and he would have to go outside. Damn conservative for a hotel if you asked him. He let out another breath in a noisy rush.

"I would say you're not as fine as you'd think you are, my friend." Hakkai murmured. "If I had to guess, you're worried about the lady." He kept watch on Gojyo's features out of the corner of his eye to gauge the redhead's reaction.

"Of course I'm worried! You should be too! She's out there, lord knows where, doing who the fuck knows, and coming back sometime, we hope! She has Kougaiji and random assassin teams after her for whatever reason, and that alone is what keeps her with us and Sanzo from tossing her to the street! He doesn't give two shits for her, we all know it, hell she knows it, and this kind of behavior could snap Mr. Fuckstick's last nerve and she's gone!" Gojyo panted after his sudden outburst.

Hakkai's eyebrows had risen with every sentence out of Gojyo's mouth. When his eyebrows would go no higher, his eyes widened with shock, and realization. "My god Gojyo, you love her!"

Gojyo's hand stilled in the process of lighting the prohibited cigarette. It was hanging out of his mouth and the hand holding his Zippo froze about six inches from his mouth. "What did you say?"

Hakkai grew more concerned. Usually if he asked that question or made the statement of Gojyo loving his current lady, the man in question would laughingly respond with a "I don't discriminate, I love each one that comes along," or something to those tawdry lines. But the long haired man had never froze in fear when posed with the question that now hung in the air between them.

"You love her." Hakkai repeated calmly. He turned now from the window and the busy traffic to face his friend head on.

"Hey, 'Kai, you know me, I can't be smitten with just one girl, I have to make sure there's plenty of me to go around." Gojyo nervously lit his cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke.

"We've been friends too long for that poor excuse to wash, Gojyo." Hakkai grew stern. "And I will not allow you to hide from it. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know! Gods Hakkai, did you have to make this revelation now?" It was a coward's statement, Gojyo knew, but he so did not want to face this right now, if ever. This couldn't be true, he didn't love her, did he? Even the pilfered smoke held no satisfaction for the half-breed who began to pace the room all over again.

"If not now, then when, Gojyo? If this is indeed true, you and Miss Ty have a lot to discuss." Hakkai felt for his friend, the usual carefree rake, who now was petrified of his newfound feelings. But this was something Gojyo had to come to terms with before things got out of hand.

Hakkai didn't know what Sanzo had in store for Ty. By the monk's treatment of her, Sanzo was considering her little more than a pawn in his schemes to thwart Gyumaoh's resurrection. Hakkai did not agree with Sanzo's treatment of Ty by any means, but it was not his place to dictate to the blonde man how he should treat others. The only thing he could do was try and watch out for Ty as best as he could, to make sure she didn't get caught in the crossfire between Sanzo and Kougaiji. Speaking of Kougaiji…

"Gojyo, do you think there is any merit to when Kougaiji called her "little sister?" That should give his friend a reprieve from the hard truth he was just dealt. Something else to focus on.

Gojyo sighed, "I don't know. He could be telling the truth, but I wouldn't put anything past that shifty bastard!" He raked his hand through his hair yet another time as he paced.

"Well, if that other assassin can be trusted, we know she's at least related to Kougaiji, yet they don't really look anything like each other." Hakkai sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Gojyo pace. "You're going to wear a hole in the carpet, my friend."

Gojyo sprawled in the chair beside the bed, propping one ankle on his other knee. "It's in the eyes. They have similar eyes," He muttered then looked up at Hakkai, "and NO I wasn't checkin Kougaiji out…I just couldn't help but notice when they were fighting each other. I don't do guys." He ground out the cigarette on the sole of his boot.

"The thought never entered my mind." Hakkai mentioned dryly. "But moving on, I assume it would be safe to say that she is indeed Kougaiji's sister. I don't think Kougaiji would lie about something like that. You've seen the way he attends to his younger sister Lirin."

"Yeah, by fighting Goku and leaving her to sit on Sanzo!" Gojyo chuckled. "Very caring brother, indeed."

"I agree it is kind of humorous to see her latch on to Sanzo like that." Hakkai agreed.

"So how do you think His Holiness is reacting to Kougaiji's little bombshell of knowledge?" Gojyo asked, pondering Ty's status in their camp.

"Hmm. Hard to say. Sanzo probably sees it-and Ty-as a gambling chip in his efforts to thwart the resurrection." Hakkai commented, voicing his earlier thoughts.

"You don't think he'd hurt her just to get to Kougaiji, would you?" Gojyo asked nonchalantly.

"Heavens no! Sanzo may be a bit brusque, but he's not cruel." Hakkai was shocked that Gojyo would bring such a topic up. "That's not to say he might play a little mind game with Kougaiji into thinking he is, just to get him off guard." Hakkai just wondered over how much Ty could take if it came to that, for Sanzo would not offer any explanation to his motives, just would carry them out to see to his own ends.

Gojyo's foot that was propped up on his knee began to twitch, then full out jiggle. Finally with a smothered curse, he sprang up. "I can't take this anymore! I'm gonna go find her. He finger combed his hair one more time in frustration, then tied on his bandana and strode to the door.

"Do you want some help?" Hakkai rose from the edge of the bed.

"Nah, the things I got to say to that little lady are best left for her ears alone." Gojyo grinned wickedly.


	21. Chapter 21

Downstairs, Goku and Sanzo watched Gojyo enter the lobby and consult briefly with the concierge, then nod once and stride to the revolving door and out into the night. Sanzo remained silent and took another drag while they remained in the lounge. He ignored the looks that other patrons gave him at the sight of a supposed holy man smoking a Marlboro and sipping on the finest sake to be had in the joint. The public's looks increased a few degrees in heat when they saw that he had what appeared to be a minor in the lounge with him. The rest of humanity could go very well fuck off for all he cared.

"Hey Sanzo, where d'ya think Gojyo's goin?" Goku excitedly asked. He gulped some more tea and looked to the blonde man for an answer.

"Hell if I know." Sanzo replied. He sighed in irritation because he knew this answer wouldn't appease the chimp, and a barrage of questions were about to follow. He shook out a fresh cigarette, noticed it was the last one and crumpled the pack in his fist before tossing it negligently to the table near the glass ashtray.

"Well, what if he gets his nasty kappa ass in trouble? How will we know where he is? And if he_ does_ get in trouble, can I be the one to kick his ass?" Goku fired off the questions one after the other.

"Be my guest, I don't have time for such stupidity." Sanzo said as he exhaled a steady stream of smoke. There was nothing quite like the first drag off a fresh cig.

"All right!" Goku crowed and threw a fist in the air, startling the table nearest to them. "Imma kick the roach's ass, Imma kick the roach's ass," He chanted in a sing-song voice that drew the stares of a few patrons by their table.

Sanzo rubbed his face in a frustrated manner at the absurdity of Goku's antics. "Will you just shut up already?" He ground out between clenched teeth.

Goku, for once, listened to him. "Ok…sorry." He giggled a little and hummed the same sing-song tune that he had used for the lyrics.

"Excuse me, Master Sanzo; is there anything else that I can get for you?" A polite masculine voice brought Sanzo out of the inane conversation he'd been stuck in.

"What do you want?" He asked neutrally, which to any _normal_ human, sounded pissed off.

It was the host of the lounge, a man about ten years older than Sanzo, of medium build who had his black hair slicked back and was wearing a freshly starched tux. "Uh…um…I was just wondering if there was any,"

"I heard you the first time. And short of another bottle of sake, there's nothing else I need." Sanzo cut in tersely. Goku's prattling had given him a headache.

The host's nondescript brown eyes widened in surprise at the monk's rudeness, he straightened his already centered bowtie and stammered on. "B-but of course, your Excellence, how absurd of me. I will make sure that another bottle of sake will be delivered shortly." He looked down at the table where the holy man was ignoring him, and the youth that the host could not believe was old enough to be in here was pleading for meatbuns? The host sniffed in annoyance. Meatbuns, really, this would be the _last_ place that would serve such provincial fare. It was a peasant dish and nothing more. _His_ lounge would not stoop so low. "I am sorry sir, but meatbuns are not on this menu." His reverent tone from earlier was fast losing its awe and _ire _was taking its place.

Sanzo chuckled once, "Sorry chimp, looks like you're out of luck. Now shut up."

Goku's eyes, instead of getting angry, got wide and sad. "No…meatbuns?" He looked from Sanzo, who was just grinding out his last cigarette, to the host who still hovered over Sanzo's left shoulder by their table.

"I'm very sorry." The Host said, feigning sincerity.

"Is there any spring rolls?" Goku asked expectantly, looking from Sanzo up to where the Host stood.

Sanzo didn't say anything, merely turned to look as well up him with an arched eyebrow. The look seemed to shout, 'Well?'

"Uh…I do believe they are listed as an appetizer on the menu." The host stammered under the weight of the look Sanzo had sent him. He tugged on the tight collar of his dress shirt, "I shall see to your bottle of sake, Master Sanzo." He turned on his heel and left. He took note of those patrons still in the bar…most ignored the Holy man and his sidekick, but the host began to get angry at Sanzo's presence. A monk of the highest order, a Sanzo, should not be smoking, and drinking, and flaunting these vices in front of the masses that look up to someone of his standing; and especially at this upscale hotel/lounge. Why should people look up to _that_? He was an elaborately dressed ruffian and nothing more, and his little pet was disgracing the image of this lounge.

He stalked to the bar and snapped at the barkeep to grab another bottle of top-shelf sake for the charlatan priest. Honestly, how dare a monk behave himself so atrociously? On the way back to the table with the promised bottle of sake, the host now saw other patrons eying Sanzo's table in askance, with whispered comments behind menus and hands. And the man was shamelessly ignoring the lot of them as his partner prattled on noisily about miso soup. Why did they have to be in _his _lounge? He dropped the sake unceremoniously onto the table in front of Sanzo. "There, your sake, sir."

Sanzo reached out and steadied the bottle before looking up curiously at the furious host. "Thanks."

"I want SPRING ROLLS!" Goku cheered suddenly.

"Honestly, can't you keep your pet on a leash?" The host added under his breath.

"What did you say?" Sanzo asked in a deadly quiet tone.

The host refused to be swayed from his mission. His eyes held contempt and condescension as he looked down his nose at the monk. "It is your young…servant, Sir."

Sanzo felt himself bristle at the pipsqueak's tone, so his own voice got a little harsher when he replied, "Yeah, what about him?" The "servant" in question was quiet for once in his life and watched the conversation with wide golden eyes.

The host sniffed indignantly. "The other patrons are taking offense at having him in their presence. Perhaps if one was to send him to your room to ready your quarters for the night?" He ventured primly.

"Oh, believe me; I take offense at having him 'in my presence' every damn day," Sanzo replied dryly, "but so far no one has come along to take him off my hands, so I'm stuck with him."

"SANZO!" Goku squawked, "That's not very nice!"

"It wasn't meant to be, monkey! Now zip it." Sanzo hissed at Goku. He knew what this prig was trying to insinuate. And he'd be damned if he'd let some jackass run him out of the lounge. He was stuck in this town for a couple days to re-supply or whatever crap that Hakkai had made up. He knew the real reason why. It was because of _her._ The pain in his ass herself, Ty, who was supposedly sister to Kougaiji, needed some time to do…whatever. Sanzo didn't know and he didn't care. All he wanted was a good bottle of sake and some peace and quiet. But now this bastard was trying to look down his nose at him. The little prick didn't stand a chance.

"I think you're misunderstanding me, sir. The boy is obviously underage…and poorly trained, if he is to be your servant." The man faltered.

Sanzo seized the opportunity. "Goku is fine here. As my _servant_, he is to be at my side at all times, no matter who complains." He said simply.

The host's jaw dropped and he gaped like a landed trout. "But…I mean...I'll have to see ID to believe this." He recovered his decorum.

Sanzo growled under his breath, the man was persistent. However Sanzo had to thank Hakkai for being a paranoid soul. "Goku, show him."

Goku grinned, "Okay!" He dug in his tunic with his right hand, his teeth chewing on his bottom lip. He began by pulling out a bag of cookies, dumped them on the table, followed by a pack of gum, three candy bars and a bag of peanuts. Finally a small leather bound wallet was produced.

"Jeezus, what do you carry in there?" Sanzo demanded.

"Well, Hakkai says I gotta have 'mergency rations." Goku grinned and flipped the wallet in the general direction of the snooty host.

The host daintily brushed the assorted crumbs and lint off the outside of the wallet as he flipped it open. There sat a picture of the youth in question….sure enough it was a legally binding ID card that stated he was of age to be in this establishment. He refused to be dismissed so easily though. "This may allow him passage; however there is the matter of your conduct." He placed the wallet down on the table and wiped his hands on the pristine pants of his tux.

"What conduct? He's loud, but we're not bothering anyone else. Would you care to be a bit more _specific_ as to what conduct is offending the good people of this town?" Sanzo found himself playing along with this man's game and as much as he hated it, he wanted to beat this snob at his own game.

"Surely you don't want me to bring to light your…_relationship_…in public? Just what kind of holy man are you?" The man was aghast. He took a step back from the table.

Sanzo was wishing he had another cigarette to light up to blow smoke in this bigot's face. But he'd have to settle for pouring another shot of sake. He exuded an air of nonchalance and as he raised the cup to his lips he locked a steady gaze onto the host that promised pain, lots of it.

The man backed up another step, just who was this Sanzo Priest? Now he was threatening violence? Sure, he didn't voice it, but just the look in those purple eyes made goosebumps pop up all over the host's skin. He gulped audibly and looked over to where the young man sat next to the monk. He too was glaring at the host as if he had picked up his lead from the monk. But Sanzo hadn't said anything overtly violent to clue the youth in….how did they…_who_…were these people? "Um…uh…I'm terribly sorry sir, I shall leave you be at once." He gave a slight bow and backed fully away and turned in mid stride. He was so agitated that he accidentally bumped shoulders with a tall dark haired man in a green tunic. After a mumbled apology, he scurried back to his podium at the front of the lounge and once again assumed his pretentious air.

* * *

Hakkai glanced at the clearly agitated man as he hurried to resume his post. He glanced back the way the host had come and sure enough there sat Sanzo and Goku. Hakkai chuckled in a resigned manor as he approached the table. "Now what'd you two do?" He pulled out a chair to Sanzo's left and glanced from the silent man to the boisterous youth sitting at his right. He saw a crumpled pack of cigarettes on the table and made the mental note to pick up some more in the morning.

"I got CARDED!" Goku piped up excitedly.

Hakkai lifted an eyebrow at Sanzo, "For real?" The monk hadn't said much of anything, only lifted the sake to his lips and back down again.

"Pretentious bastard of a host thought Goku was underage, among other things." He said straightforward.

"Goodness, Goku is older than all of us." Hakkai murmured. "What were the 'other things?"

"Oh, the fact that I am drinking, smoking, and if I had interpreted it correctly, I am a lover of men." Another shot of sake washed the bitter taste of those last words away.

"Oh my. It's been an eventful evening here as well." Hakkai mentioned casually.

"As well?" Sanzo asked the same time as Goku.

"Hey, 'Kai! Where did that nasty kappa go?" Goku asked around a mouthful of spring rolls that had been set in front of the youth seconds before Hakkai had walked up to the table.

"Why do I continually think that buying the chimp food will shut him up?" Sanzo asked to no one in particular.

Hakkai ventured a guess, "Because one can always hope for the best?" He shared a look of dark amusement with the blonde man before glancing at Goku, "He went to go look for Miss Ty. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"Oh, then…I guess he's not such a nasty kappa if he's watchin' over Ty." Goku reasoned cheerfully. "But don't tell him that I said that!"

Hakkai laughed, "My lips are sealed. Sanzo?"

"I've nothing to say to that imbecile." Sanzo snorted in derision.

"Well I think you have our silence on that matter." Hakkai commented.

"So where did _she_ run off to then?" Sanzo said the pronoun that he used for Ty with a sneer; he refused to acknowledge her in any significant way.

"Why, I wasn't aware you cared where she went." Hakkai found himself toying with the placement setting in front of him.

"If it gets her away from me permanently, I don't." Sanzo added snidely.

"See, right there is what stumps me, just what is the cause for your animosity towards the girl?" Hakkai asked, his voice was still mild, but carried an edge to it. He'd grown weary of this constant bickering and pot shot taking of Sanzo's. It just wasn't like him to be so verbally cruel to anyone _outside_ their little group.

"It's not your business, Hakkai, just stay out of it; if you need someone to mother, go take care of the worthless kappa." Sanzo took another shot of sake.

Hakkai stiffened. "Excuse me?" He asked curtly. "I'm afraid I don't understand you." He was shocked; Sanzo really _was_ in a mood over Ty.

"I think you understood me just fine. You hover over all of us…especially _her_ like a goddamn mother hen. We're all adults, we can manage just fine." Sanzo stated coldly. He held the almost empty sake bottle up to signal a refill.

Goku had quit eating and looked to Sanzo, "Hey, that's not true! Yeah, Hakkai takes care o' us, but who else,"

"Goku, shut the hell up." Sanzo harshly cut in. "This has nothing to do with you."

"What? Ty's my friend an' I don't like you sayin' bad things about her or Hakkai. Hakkai is awesome 'cuz he cooks better than any of us, and poor Ty is caught up in all of this, an' she loves Gojyo, and she's scared, and doesn't know what's goin on, an'," Goku babbled in agitation, until Sanzo cut him off again.

"Save it for someone who wants to hear it. I don't." Sanzo said in dismissal.

"No, I think Goku has some valid points." Hakkai stood, green eyes flinty sharp with anger. "I think that you have been unreasonably hard on Ty. I realize that she is indeed a wild card and we don't know yet why the enemy wants her, but that is _no_ reason to treat her like you have been."

Sanzo looked at the dark haired demon and Goku sitting on him. He stood as well and rolled his shoulders, "Fuck this, I'm going to my room." He turned on his heel, wavered a split second before righting himself, stalked to the frightened barkeep, ripped a bottle of sake from the guy's hands and left the lounge.

That left Hakkai and Goku staring after him, then turning almost as one they looked at each other. Hakkai could see the concern in Goku's eyes, and he was sure that Goku could see the same reflected in his own. The fact that Ty was Kougaiji's sister, or an unknown asset to the enemy's plans had colored Sanzo's view of her, and as much as Hakkai thought it unfair of him, he would not change his opinion. All they could do is hope like always that Ty could withstand the verbal assaults while she was with them. Hakkai's eyebrows furrowed in thought, perhaps he should take over this vigil of the lobby in order to warn either Gojyo and/or Ty of Sanzo's surly mood. It was the only fair thing to do, besides, he was rather angry with Sanzo over the things he'd said about himself. He did _not_ mother any of them; he merely helped out with the details of the trip.

Hakkai snapped out of his trance when the smell of deep fried rice paper and flavored beef hit his nostrils…he looked down and there was Goku offering him his plate.

"Wanna spring roll?" Goku asked politely.

Hakkai found himself smiling, "I think I might have one, thank you Goku." And he sat down in Sanzo's chair waiting for the two to return to the hotel.

* * *

"You're my brother?" Ty asked slowly, her voice wavering just a bit. Her mind refused to let it sink in. Kougaiji kept staring at her, watching her reaction, but to be truthful, there wasn't much of a reaction. It was all too new, too surreal. She kept her gaze locked on his face, trying to sense if he was lying or not. His pulse remained the same; she caught no scent of fear off of him. Besides, his words carried the truth. She didn't know how she _knew_ that, but she did.

"Yes, I'm your brother." Kougaiji repeated patiently. He tried stifling his smile, but he couldn't succeed. They were both still sitting on the lawn of the small park, away from the city's busy tavern section. He didn't know if he had just made things better or worse for the both of them, but he knew that he felt better by telling Ty who she was. Now he just had to go about getting to know her, and seeing if she wanted to see the other side of her heritage. He had already decided that he would protect her from Koushu. That woman was up to no good, and he didn't want Ty to be harmed.

"And you say I'm over five hundred years old?" She asked again. _This_ was the part she really didn't understand. "How can I be five hundred and twenty-four years old and look only twenty four?"

Kougaiji sighed, they had been over this a few times now, she understood who and where she came from, but the whole magical shrine thing was escaping her grasp of understanding. "The War God, Prince Nataku…"

* * *

After wandering down the club district following Ty's faint residual aura, Gojyo paused by the Lyin' Eyes Saloon. He stood on the curb outside the joint and looked both ways, back up the street from the direction where he came, and down the opposite direction where clubs gave way to residential areas. He couldn't decide where it went to from there. He uncharacteristically chewed his lower lip trying to decide. If he were a girl trying to get away from everyone, where would he go? He closed his eyes to try and get in the right mindset. Hmm…loud crowded dance floor, swaying bodies moving as one to the trance music. Palms sliding up sweat slick skin, and lips nibbling on the long column of a random girl's throat as he eased up behind her, moving to the tune…

Shaking his head, he realized where _he_ wanted to go, not necessarily where Ty would go. He opened his eyes and looked toward the darkened streets leading to suburbia. She would want to get away from all the loud sounds and drone of people. Gojyo grinned with the knowledge and lit up a cigarette, taking a couple minutes to admire a brunette and a red-head in full club gear saunter by, he let out a cloud of smoke as he watched their swaying walk. "Hate to see ya go, but love to watch you leave, ladies." He said under his breath before returning to the task at hand. It wasn't bad of him to admire the sight of beautiful ladies if he was in love with the prettiest of them all, was it? His grin slipped a peg or two, it probably was. He sighed as he began to walk down the crowded streets, lost in thought. However, he didn't think Ty was the type of girl to put blinders on a guy and lead him around by the nose…she seemed a lot more laid back and Gojyo was grateful for it.

Was Hakkai right? Was he really in love with Ty? If so, when did this happen? They'd only known each other a few weeks; it wasn't supposed to happen that quickly, was it? He had so many questions, but already he found himself warming to the concept, which again was strange for him. He was the type of guy to not let others, especially females, get close to him. He couldn't stand to see a person he cared for in pain or hurting, and he didn't want to be the cause of that pain. So he kept things casual, brief, and detached, for want of a better term.

"If you don't fall, you don't get hurt." He murmured as he walked down the street. The clubs were thinning out to commercial stores now, he noticed. The crowds were significantly less here as well. He continued to walk; hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly slumped in thought. His cigarette hung out of partially open lips, forgotten in his pursuit of insight and reflection. "But if I have fallen…I have yet to hurt." He mused to himself, taking a drag on the cigarette that he suddenly remembered.

Gojyo looked around; he was in a total residential area. The clubs and stores had long passed. The streets were dark and quiet, save the occasional bark from a dog. He suddenly picked up a feeling that wasn't natural to the area and stopped dead in his tracks. The cigarette fell to the asphalt as he scanned the area. He felt…demon aura, from….over to the right….close. Gojyo took off at a steady but silent lope to close the distance. He summoned his shakujou and took to the shadows, darting between trees and parked cars.

He came to the edge of a park, and just through the mess of jungle gyms, see-saws, and merry-go-rounds he could see the forms of two people. Were these his demons? Another assassin group out to get Sanzo, or maybe Ty? He used every shred of demonic power in himself to strain to see through the inky darkness. What he saw made his jaw drop. It was Ty..._with_…Kougaiji? What in seven hells was going on?

* * *

Ty understood it all finally…she thought. After all, who was she to try to reason out magical spells and seals? She had better things to think about. She looked at her half brother and searched his features for anything that reminded her of her.

He sat beside her on the cool grass and said nothing. She started at the top of his head and looked at the mahogany red tresses as they trailed down his back and over his shoulder. Pointed ears poked out from the mass of hair and indigo eyes gauged her as she scrutinized his face. The shape of his eyes were similar to hers, narrow nose, thin lips hard jaw line…there was some of her as well with that jaw line. He had broad shoulders and clawed hands, narrow waist and hips tapering into long legs.

As remarked, her build was similar with long legs and a wiry build. Her hair was of a similar shade, though had more of the pure red of the half-breed stigma rather than the mahogany shade of Kougaiji's, and her eyes were blood-red to follow with that taboo. But she had the clean strong jaw line, aquiline nose and almost identical eye shape and facial features that must have been carried down through Gyumaoh's line, not necessarily Gyumaoh himself; if what Kougaiji said was true and he was an Ox Demon of huge proportions.

"So…now what?" She asked bluntly.

Kougaiji chuckled, "Took the words right out of my mouth." He sobered, "I honestly don't know. Someone on my side wants you for some reason, it could be for that extraordinary amount of power you have."

Ty scoffed, "Yeah, what power is that?" She picked up a leaf and twirled it absently in her fingers. "You seemed to have kicked my ass pretty easily."

Kou lifted an eyebrow at her from his position sitting next to her on the grass. "So? You're relatively untrained in the ways of battle, little one. Despite what you may think, you do have an unbelievable wealth of power lying dormant inside you. Far more than is normal for a typical person with both demon and human traits." Kougaiji reasoned.

"Why don't you just say half-breed…it's shorter and what I am. But thank you for trying to say it nicely." Ty muttered.

"You are more than a 'half-breed', you are descended from nobility and this air of depression does not suit you." Kougaiji added haughtily, trying to evoke a smile from her.

"Nobility, huh? I suppose so…now that I think about it." A grin erupted on her face. "Heh…now I really _can_ order that kappa around. Maybe get him to address me as "Your Majesty"…yeah that will work wonders!" She giggled.

"Kappa?" Kougaiji asked, turning fully to her. "You mean Dokugakuji's brother, Gojyo?"

Ty was surprised, "Gojyo and Doku are brothers? I _thought_ they looked similar." She looked at Kougaiji, "Yeah, I was talking about Gojyo, why?"

"Does he bother you, or does any of the Sanzo party bother you?" Kougaiji asked solemnly.

Ty laughed, "Huh, sudden big-brother protection? Yeah, Gojyo bothers me all the time, but I think you were being serious when you asked that, so the true answer is no, Gojyo doesn't bother me." She stared out into the space.

Kou looked at her and her vacant look out into the darkness. "You made that sound as if someone _was _bothering you."

Ty shrugged, "Oh, it's not a huge thing. It's just…well…Sanzo. But I understand why he's being harsh." Despite her nonchalant tone, Kou noticed that she drew her knees up to her chest to wrap her arms around her legs and rest her chin on her knees. His brows furrowed in concern at the obviously defensive position.

Kou felt the spike in the surrounding auras and heard the distant rattle of a shakujou, and realized that Gojyo was on his way here. Kou was not going to alert Ty to this fact just yet. He wanted to see what she meant by Sanzo being harsh. "Go on." He prodded gently.

"Well, he's the leader of his group, and they have some sort of a mission that I'm involved in somehow. I'm not exactly sure how, or why you need me, or why Sanzo wants to keep me from you. That and I am always in his way, and I am distracting Gojyo, and…" She drifted off.

"I told you before; this morose attitude doesn't become you." Kougaiji gently admonished. So Sanzo and the others had kept her in the dark about most of it. The majority of her knowledge came from him this evening, Kou was chagrined to realize. If he had known that she knew next to nothing, he wouldn't have been so forthcoming with details.

He lifted his head to look in the general direction to where Gojyo was skulking. He was still of a distance that Ty would have a problem in detecting him, but the kappa may as well have brought a marching band to announce his presence to Kougaiji. Just who did the kappa think he was sneaking up on, Lirin? Even his youngest sister would have seen through and called him out as soon as the jingle of chain had been heard. Kou hoped that Gojyo didn't butt into his time with Ty. He didn't know when he would have another chance like this to visit with his sister before the ideals of enemy and comrade separated them again.

"I'm sorry Kou, it's just that…" Ty dropped the sentence again.

"Just that what?" Kou coaxed.

"I care for him so much; yet, I know I don't belong there." Ty murmured.

"You…care…for Sanzo?!" Kou was shocked. The man was an ass, and had about as much emotion as a rock.

Ty jerked her head up to look at Kougaiji with shocked, wide eyes, "Sanzo?! Hell no, where did you get _that _idea?! That man has the personality of a fence post! I was talking about Gojyo!"

Now it was Kougaiji's turn to be surprised. "Gojyo? The man is nothing but a rake, Ty. He'll only use you and move on. Doku has told me of Gojyo's reputation." Kou replied, pitching his voice so it would carry.

Ty swiveled her head around to focus over Kou's shoulder. "Did you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?" Kou asked innocently, successfully smothering his grin.

"Sounded like someone shouted or swore or something." Ty panned the area again before focusing again on her brother. "Getting back to the subject, Gojyo is _not_ a rake. He's…" She looked around and past Kougaiji, "…here. Oh gods." Her eyes widened when she saw Gojyo striding up to where she and Kou sat.


	22. Chapter 22

**_A/N: Holy Crap it's been a long time!!!!!! But you should be pleasantly surprised to find an extra long chapter just for you. Since you had to wait so long. I hope you guys enjoy this, and please hit me back with a review voicing any comments/complaints/constructive criticism!!!! Kudos to those who are still hanging in there with me on this!!!_**

Crimson Bond Chapter 22

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Gojyo swaggered to the duo, which had stood up at his approach.

"Hey Gojyo," Ty responded warily. She wondered why he wasn't dispelling his shaku-jou.

"Hey yourself, gorgeous." Gojyo flicked his gaze from Kougaiji to Ty. "What are y'all up to, besides talking shit about me?" He planted the butt end of the weapon into the ground and idly leaned on the staff, meanwhile glaring daggers at Kougaiji, who merely arched an eyebrow in recognition.

"Talking shit? I don't do that." Kougaiji folded his arms and leveled a glare in return at Gojyo.

"You don't? Really, that's funny because _someone_ just called me a rake and a good-for-nothin just a minute ago." Gojyo's voice still held humor, yet had the threat of anger behind it.

"Oh that." Kougaiji concurred.

"Yeah, so you DO admit it!" Gojyo grinned in triumph.

"I was just telling the truth." Kougaiji grinned and arched an eyebrow in Gojyo's direction.

"That's it, dickhead, your ass is grass!" Gojyo hefted the shaku-jou in preparation of attack.

"And why do you care anyway, Mr. Nosy Parker?!" Ty's voice cut through the argument like a knife, her eyes gleamed with temper.

Gojyo's jaw dropped and he lowered the blade. "Hey now, I was the one who was going to chew _you_ out!"

Ty quirked an eyebrow of her own, "Chew _me_ out? What for?" She folded her arms and grinned. "This I have to hear."

"For one, you left the hotel and our protection," Gojyo ignored the undignified snort from Kougaiji, "and you didn't tell me where you were going."

"I didn't tell you because I wanted to be _alone._" Ty enunciated. "If I had told you, you would have followed along after me, either of your own choice, or Mr. Holier-Than-Thou-Jackass would have told you to."

"So?! At least I'd have been with so this bastard wouldn't have bothered you." Gojyo jutted his chin in Kougaiji's direction.

"Gojyo, did it ever occur to you that I might _want_ to speak with my brother?" Ty intoned soberly.

"Your…brother? You told her?" Gojyo looked at the youkai prince.

"I did." Kougaiji responded simply; he had no desire to wade into this particular verbal mire.

"What do you mean, 'told me'? You knew, Gojyo?" Ty demanded.

"Well, yeah, but not until recently…" Gojyo answered hesitantly.

"When?" Ty shot out.

"Look, that doesn't matter…what matters-"Gojyo reasoned; reaching for Ty's arm.

She pulled out of his grasp, "_When?_" Her voice didn't get louder, just more strained. Gojyo would have preferred a shout, rather than this strangled tone from her.

With a heavy sigh, Gojyo raked his fingers through his hair. "Since your fight with Fiend Boy over here." He finally dispelled the shaku-jou and jerked a thumb in Kougaiji's direction. He didn't need the weapon; the only one that might do him damage here would be Ty, though he kept an eye on the youkai prince.

"Fiend Boy?" Kougaiji murmured to himself.

"How did you hear?" Ty asked; her folded arms shifted to wrap around herself.

"He was calling you "little sister" the whole time you were fighting, remember?" Gojyo asked.

"No, I remember him calling me-," Ty started, but Kougaiji finished.

"Imoto; it means little sister." He said softly.

"And you didn't think to tell me that, Gojyo?" Ty asked, looking up at him with wide, wounded eyes.

"I didn't know that you didn't understand him," Gojyo reasoned, hating that look in her eyes, "You never asked about it, so I just assumed…"

"Well you assumed wrong." Ty said softly. She fought to stifle the feelings of betrayal since Gojyo never really betrayed her. It wasn't his fault that she never clarified the subject. It just made her wonder what else the Sanzo Party wasn't telling her or was allowing her to misunderstand.

She looked up to Kougaiji, his face showed no emotion, but she could see concern in the gaze he kept shifting from her to Gojyo. "You were trying to tell me even back then." She said quietly. "And I was too dumb to get it."

"Not dumb, you were just pre-occupied. However, now that Gojyo is here to save you, I guess I'll leave." Kougaiji said sarcastically and backed off a step with a half smile.

"Kou, wait!" Ty followed after him, "We're not done talking."

"You're not gonna take her!" Gojyo grabbed her in an abrupt manner and held her close to his chest, leaving her confused.

"Relax, our agreement still stands. I'm not going to take her. I'll give you _both_ some more time. She knows that if she needs me, I will come to get her. And I won't be stopped." With the last words he faded into the darkness.

"Kou!" Ty shouted loud enough to start a few neighborhood dogs to barking.

"Shh! You're gonna wake up the whole neighborhood!" Gojyo admonished.

"I don't care! He's the only one that has given me any straight answers!" She yanked herself out of Gojyo's grip and stalked off across the park in the direction that she came, back to the hotel, back to the hell known as Genjyo Sanzo.

"Hey, wait up a sec, gorgeous." Gojyo grabbed her arm and took a step back when she whirled angrily on him. His eyes went wide and he released her, "Whoa, holy fuck, what's up? What answers are you looking for?" He asked; his temper was getting the best of him now as well as he took off after her down the street.

She had turned away from him the minute he let go. She was suddenly so angry with the situation and she had no outlet for it. She broke into a run down the street with him hot on her tail. She didn't say anything for several blocks until she couldn't stay quiet any longer and the fire in her lungs forced her to slow to a walk. "I've asked you guys questions this whole time and all I ever get are evasions and non-committal replies." She tossed angrily over her shoulder in between breaths as she paced down the sidewalk rapidly passing the clubs whose crowds were thinning due to the late hour.

"I've told you everything I know about the situation." Gojyo now struggled to keep up walking alongside her even though she kept her eyes forward and chin angled stubbornly. What an exasperating female! She was friendly while Prince Charming was around, but as soon as he leaves, Gojyo was no better than chopped liver. Just what kinda crap was Kougaiji filling her with?

"Everything about the situation; meaning me, right?" Ty bit out each word.

"Yeah, you know I wouldn't hide anything like that from you, babe." Gojyo reasoned while deftly weaving around a few drunks to get back to her side. He looked around, due to her militant pace they were at the hotel and walking through its revolving doors. She didn't stop or slow down, merely went to the elevators and grabbed the first one going up. Gojyo narrowly missed being caught in the closing doors before he was leveled with a pissed stare from her. He felt his own pulse jump as his temper slipped another notch.

"Why won't you tell me anything about the mission?" She asked, clenching her jaw, "Why won't you tell me anything about _you_?" Her eyes were glassy with anger, or were those unshed tears? He ignored it and pressed on.

"What do you want to know? I had a mother, father, brother, who are all gone now. Hakkai and I've paired up with Sanzo and the others for this mission to stop a demon lord, _your dad_, from being resurrected and ending existence as we know it, and you might be a key in stopping that! There! That's all there is to it!" His chest was tight as he watched her warily. With his temper high and his concern over her he had uncharacteristically snapped at her; he could have kicked himself, but the words had been said and there was no way to take them back.

She stared, wide eyed at him, saying nothing until the _bing_ of the elevator signaled their arrival. She walked by him and was reaching for her room key when he saw it; the trail of a lone tear down the curve of a pale cheek partially hidden by a long fall of bangs.

"Ah hell," He cursed, turned her around so her back was against the door and covered her mouth suddenly with his. His body trapped hers effectively against the solidness of the door as his hands burying themselves in her hair, angling her head back better for his assault.

In surprise she had gasped, and he had taken advantage of the opportunity and claimed her mouth with his lips and tongue as he continued to hold her prisoner against the door to her hotel room. Vaguely, he realized that the arms that had started to push at his chest were now grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and pulling him closer.

When he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, he murmured, "I told you not to cry…when you do, it makes me want to kiss you." He willed his pounding heart to slow down. He was still at a loss of her mood when she said nothing, unlocked the door and entered the room. He was silent at her heels and watched as she went straight to the window to look out at the night sky. He had left the bathroom light on when he had left, so the dim light saved them from tripping through the room in the dark. He started to walk up to her when her stance stopped him.

She was hugging herself and staring out the window. Gojyo didn't know how to reach her with the mood she was in. Even his kiss had failed to reconcile them—and that said a lot. Ty seemed as unapproachable as ever when all he wanted to do was gather her into his arms and make her forget everything except his touch.

"I don't even know who I am anymore." Ty said softly to herself. "I don't know who to trust."

"You can trust me, gorgeous." Gojyo said almost impatiently.

"Can I?" She murmured.

Gojyo raked a hand through his hair, "You can trust me a helluva lot more than Kougaiji. The gods only know what kinda plans he has for you. It was reckless of you to have gone off with him to chat. He could have taken you without us knowing and—"

"And what, Gojyo?" Ty broke in, "What does it really matter besides the fact that y'all would then lose your ace in the hole; the Wild Card. Hell, for the _mission_ that you're on, perhaps it would be better if I left."

Gojyo narrowed his eyes and his tone darkened, "That's not it at all, and you're off the reservation if you think you're just the Wild Card to us." Inwardly, Gojyo felt apprehension crawl down his spine. He couldn't lose her, not yet.

"Us?! What us? Sanzo hates me, Hakkai tolerates me, Goku likes me because you don't pick on him when I'm around and I don't horn in on his dinner. Talking to Kougaiji tonight revealed that someone out there just might want to accept me for me. Something I've never had; not even from my parents. And now Kougaiji—"

"—might be lying!" Gojyo shot back harshly at her. He watched her as she spun to face him. "Face it Tyra, the guy is our _enemy _for a reason. He wouldn't be above using dirty pool to get you in his grasp. I don't want you being alone or talking to him again." He frowned when all she did was plant her hands on her hips and narrow scarlet eyes the same shade as his back at him.

"Just because you made the choice to ignore your brother doesn't mean I am going to do the same!" She angrily hissed out.

Gojyo sucked in a breath as all the blood left his face. Her verbal dart found its mark and for a second he couldn't breathe. Did she think? "I didn't _choose_ not to talk to him. Shit happened, and we just stopped. You don't know a goddamn thing about the matter, so don't be talking shit about it!" He panted with the force of what he'd said.

"I don't know a goddamn thing about any of you! I couldn't give a flying fuck about the monk. Hakkai and Goku talk to me, but you, Gojyo. You're the one I want most to get to know; and you won't let me!" Unshed tears made her eyes sheen as she said the last and she turned back to the window to hide from him. She hastily wiped her eyes and took a calming breath.

She felt his arms wrap around her waist and felt the solid wall of his chest support her back. He held her like that for a few sweet moments, enough for her to calm herself and draw in the now familiar scent of Gojyo…that exotic, heady scent that was unique only to him. She felt him push her away and turn her so she now looked into his solemn expression.

"I haven't told you because…well, it's not something you tell a girl you're trying to seduce, okay? It's…the whole thing is just rough." He let her go to pace over by the bed. He lit up a cigarette and drew the calming smoke down into his lungs to let sit for a second before exhaling. Gods, this was why he just stuck to one nighters. There were no expectations, no explanations, just an agreement to mutual satisfaction. There were no almost arguments that drew forth painful memories that should not be shared no matter who asked. They were better left dormant. But here he was preparing to share _some_ of those memories with someone who should never be sullied with the knowledge. Yet she was damn near demanding he do that very thing. Gods help him, a part of him wanted to tell her…to show her he wasn't the type of guy to get attached to; to push her away before she left of her own accord.

He continued to pace back and forth in front of the bed, fighting with himself in his head. On the one hand he wanted to spare her from any ugliness he could, for she was something important that had entered his life. But on the other hand he wanted to tell her, to see the shock and disgust cross that beautiful face, and that would lead to her leaving to find a better life; one without him. Why the hell did that thought hurt so damn much? He had no room in his life for this, yet here it was right in his face. He ground his teeth together and lit up another smoke when the first one was done.

'It's just rough?' Ty thought to herself as she watched Gojyo pace by the bed, chain smoking cigarettes like his life depended on it. Her eyes widened when she had the sudden realization that maybe his life did depend on the vice. She looked closer at him. He was pale; he kept raking his hand through his hair only to shake his head so the hair fell back down into his face. He wouldn't sit still, and kept walking, back and forth over and over again.

She closed her eyes and softly scented the air to pick up his scent. Mm…cinnamon, chocolate and all that is decadent was scent of the kappa, however, tonight there was the underlying sour tang of…unease? Fear? No…she kept sniffing. Fear was more a sharp metallic scent that tended to burn one's nostril hairs. She'd smelled it on herself when she was fighting Kougaiji and had come to the realization that she was in way over her head. No doubt he was agitated about the fact that she wanted to know about his past. But why? What was so wrong? Everyone had crappy childhoods…adults just pretended that their parents were Ward and June Cleaver. She sure as hell did years ago; until she had just resigned to the simple fact that that was far from the truth.

She took a deep breath and focused not on scent and sight, but the technique that Hakkai had told her about. Reading auras and becoming aware of them. She closed her eyes while calming herself, then slowly opened her eyes and _looked_ at Gojyo.

His aura fanned out around him like a welcoming campfire, yet the 'flames' that she saw dancing around him were flickering and lashing. Not so welcoming it would seem. The aura had a stand-offish feeling about it; like it wanted her to come closer, yet at the same time to get as far away as she could. She was confused and hurt that he would feel this conflicted over her. She didn't want to cause him pain, but at the same time she had to know _something_ about him. She didn't even know why Sanzo kept her with them when it was clear he had nothing but complete contempt for her. All she knew is that for whatever reason the prick kept her with them, she was grateful for; because it kept her close to Gojyo. She made to take a step towards him.

"Stop." Gojyo bit out. His back was to her and she could see the ever present trail of cigarette smoke lazily climbing towards the ceiling.

"Gojyo, I—" Ty started. Perhaps she didn't want to hear this, if it upset him that bad.

"If I'm going to do some explaining, this is how I have to do it." His voice sounded strangled. "My father was a full blooded youkai and was married to one. They had Doku, back then he was known as Jien. By appearances they had a happy life, until our father met my mother. She was a human girl and in a short while became pregnant. It was hard on her and she died shortly after I was born, and he decided that his wife would raise the bastard child. He died right after that so then it was just the three of us." Gojyo turned back towards her and resumed his pacing; only now it was to different areas of the hotel room. He was staring at the fixtures of the room like he'd never seen a dresser before; the remote control got intense scrutiny; he pondered the existence of the bedside lamp.

"Life wasn't a bed of roses. My mother resented my presence, and my brother kept trying to run interference between us to keep the house civil, but…" He grinned humorlessly and raked his hands through his hair. "He could only _do_ so much." Gojyo absently traced a hand down the two lines running across his left cheek, only to stop in mid-motion as if realizing what he was doing, and then swiped the hand through his hair again.

Ty caught the act and her eyes widened. Did…one of his family….his mother do that?! She couldn't believe that a mother, even if she was not his biological mother, could do that to a child! Ty wasn't the mothering type, but senseless harm against a defenseless kid? She felt an almost uncomprehending rage against the bitch that would do something like that to Gojyo. She forced herself to take a calming breath and to continue to listen to the bits and pieces that he was telling her.

"Several years later when I was a kid she died, Jien left for parts unknown, and I was left by myself. It's been like that ever since. Well, since I paired up with Hakkai." He took a deep breath and looked at her, his blood-red gaze holding both trepidation and challenge.

She realized he expected her to be disgusted, or to treat him like the worthless half-breed people have led him to believe he was. She surprised him by walking up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head down for a breath-stealing kiss.

Eyes wide, Gojyo froze as her mouth met his. His arms had spread out in surprise when she had grabbed him so suddenly that they remained that way for a moment as all he could really pay attention to was her warm mobile mouth on his. He prided himself on being one of the brighter crayons in the box, but it still took him a minute to comprehend the fact that she wanted him regardless of what he'd told her.

With a grin and a low growl he closed his arms around Ty and crushed her to him. One hand cradled the back of her neck while the other hand drifted down to splay across her ass and brought her fully against him. He angled her head slightly to the side to deepen the kiss. When he heard Ty whimper, a very male sense of satisfaction filled him. It was paired with a completely new feeling for him—a possessive longing. It nearly drove him mad as he roughly backed her up against the wall near the bed. All he could think of was Ty—all he could taste was her sweetness—all he wanted to do was fill every sense with her essence. He wanted to claim her as no one had, as _he_ never had with any other girl.

He moved from that oh-so-tempting mouth to blaze a hot trail along her jaw and down the column of her throat, dimly aware of the fact that Ty had tipped her head back to give him more room. He found the pulse point in the juncture of her neck and collarbone and laved it gently with his tongue before nipping hard, causing her to yelp with pleasure.

His hands, now that the wall effectively trapped her against him, were free to roam over her and framed her waist as Gojyo continued to nibble on her throat moving up to roughly worry an earlobe. His left hand came up to cup a breast, using his thumb to tease her nipple into a hard peak.

Ty whimpered again and turned her head to find his neck to do some nibbling of her own. At the spot right behind his left ear she caused him to suck in a breath when she raked her teeth gently down before kissing it gently. She was not passive in the least; her hands were hungrily roaming across the broad expanse of his back to hold him close, and she drew his earlobe into her mouth to bite it none too gently, causing Gojyo to groan appreciatively.

He suddenly bent further into her to bury his face in the slope of her breasts. The t-shirt she wore was not a deterrent to feeling his warm breath on her skin. She shivered at the sensation, yet arched her back gasping when his mouth found and sucked her through the thin shirt and unlined bra she wore. Her hands found their way to his hair, half holding him there, half steadying herself.

With an animalistic growl, Gojyo surged upright, picking Ty up in his arms as he stood, ensnaring her lips yet again in another bruising kiss. She returned it in kind, not feeling the textured wall scrape her back as Gojyo palmed her ass and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His need was evident to her in this position and she swiveled her hips tauntingly. He pressed her harder into the wall and her hands snuck up to bury themselves in Gojyo's hair, and she yanked on a fistful, eliciting a hiss from the kappa.

"Oh, you want to play rough, do ya?" Gojyo rasped against her mouth. They were both panting.

She grinned, "It's the only way I know how to play." She kissed him again as well as ground her hips into his, lifting her head to see him narrow his eyes at her.

"Careful darlin, you play with fire and you're gonna get burned." He mumbled against her ear.

While he was distracted and before she was senseless, Ty wrapped her arms tight around his neck, trapping his mouth against her neck/ear. She unwrapped one leg and used it to push off from the wall and to send them both sprawling across the bed with her on top of him. She had dropped her other leg as they fell, leaving her spread across him. She leveled her upper body off of him onto her elbows and smirked saucily down at his stunned expression.

Gojyo's breath had left in a _whoosh_ and he looked wide eyed at the sultry redhead above him.

"Looks like you fell, cowboy." Ty taunted. She ran her tongue up the length of his throat as she ran her hands and his t-shirt up his body to strip the garment off of him.

Gojyo was momentarily distracted by Ty's choice of words. She had no idea how close she was to his earlier thoughts when he was looking for her. Oh he'd fallen all right—just not the way she'd meant.

But what was he doing musing when he had a very beautiful lady on top of him doing _very_ naughty things with her tongue? He grinned, allowed her to continue for a few tantalizing moments before deftly flipping her over so that she lay under him.

It was her turn for her eyes to widen in surprise when he leaned over her and kissed the bemused expression off her face. He planted his hips quite firmly between her legs and immediately slowed the action down. If they kept going at it like they had been, there was no way he'd last. They had all the time in the world tonight and he was going to put it to good use. "What's your hurry, gorgeous?" Gojyo murmured; he slowly slid down her body so that his head rest on the inside of her left thigh leg. He gazed up the line of her body and let the vibration from his voice do its magic. "We're not going anywhere for a day or two." He rose up a bit to use a warm callused hand to slide up her abdomen, bringing her shirt with it and it exposed a flat stomach and what looked to be…black lace…and not a lot of it… "Sweet Merciful Goddess…" Gojyo breathed quietly in thanksgiving.

_Looking down on the scene, a sardonic figure laughed and replied, "Thank Victoria's Secret, honey, not me."_

Gojyo removed the t-shirt and bent to place a very chaste kiss to her navel. He mentally railed at himself to keep his head in the game! Usually when he had a chick in his bed, his body went on autopilot, instinctively knowing how and where to touch to bring the most pleasure. Oh, both parties enjoyed the experience, but there was always a sense of detachment on his end of things. Not so with Ty. Maybe because it had been a while since the night by the pond, but he was lost in her, and that sounded weird to him. Hell everything about this whole situation sounded seriously fucked up to him. Here he was, rambling on sappily about the woman of his dreams when he should just fuck her hard, get them both off and leave it at that. But he couldn't convince himself to be that callous or that rough. The rowdy foreplay of just a minute ago was evolving into a slow and easy seduction. It all ended the same way, pleasure for both, so who was he to complain?

During his introspection he had managed to revert back to that autopilot mode and had peeled tight jeans off mile long legs, socks off feet with toes painted with chameleon changing aqua/purple polish. When the last sock was tossed over his shoulder to land somewhere behind them on the floor, Gojyo sat up on his knees to survey his handiwork.

Ty lay sprawled across the bed, clad only in a scanty black lace bra that did wonderful things to her breasts and an even _scantier_ black lace V-string thong that did even better things to his libido. Her skin, lighter than his, was flushed rosy pink and her eyes, darkened by passion, smoldered as they gazed up at him in appeal. She was cloaked in the contrasting hues of cool moonlight and warm artificial light from the bathroom. The warm tones brought out the fire in her hair, and the cool moonlight muted and cast her dusky skin in an almost silvery hue. Her hair spread itself around her like a halo and complemented the champagne colored damask stripe duvet underneath her.

"Gojyo, _elskede,_ why'd you stop?" Ty reached for him.

The sound of the endearment, it had to be with the way she used it, caused his heart to skip a beat before regaining its normal rhythm. "I didn't stop, gorgeous, just appreciating a work of art." He said softly. He no longer wondered why he was saying the things he was. It just seemed right, so he went with what instinct was telling him to say. He'd never been one to deny his body or mind from something they wanted. Well, with the exception of that one time at the Buddhist temple where they didn't allow any liquor, smokes, or women.

Ty's heart gave its own skip and she found herself reverting to her defenses…using humor to deflect. "Wow. That's saying something about me if all you can do is look at the cheap print above the bed." She forced a self-deprecating laugh.

Gojyo did not join in on the joke. His warm eyes drank in the sight of her. "I wasn't talking about the print." He stated.

Ty lost her smile. "I know." She responded quietly. She looked down and tried to cover herself in a rare moment of self-consciousness.

"Hey, none of that." Gojyo admonished. He trapped her arms above her head with one hand and used his other to grasp her chin to look directly at him. 'Why was she so difficult?' He thought. Did she think so little of herself? Course he wasn't a poster child for high self esteem either, so who was he to judge? "Don't cover yourself from me, gorgeous, please." He let go of her arms to use that to hold himself up. The hand holding her chin loosened and he ran his fingertips very lightly down her cheek. "You have nothing wrong to hide from me." He leaned down and kissed her gently, settling himself along the length of her.

Ty reached up to hold him close and returned the kiss even as a tear rolled down her cheek in a moment of sadness for a future that would never be. Melancholy was soon replaced by her body's desire for the man atop her. All her thoughts were centered on giving as much pleasure as she was taking from him. Thoughts of tomorrow could just wait until then, because she had someone worth thinking of with her right now.

* * *

"I demand an explanation." Lady Koushu's voice cracked whip-sharp throughout the cavernous room. As usual she was in her chair in front of the dormant form of Lord Gyumaoh. She had a couple attendants on either side of her, one was filing her nails and the other was fanning her gently.

Kougaiji clenched his teeth. He forced his body to appear relaxed and nonchalant because he could feel her cold malicious gaze on him. "An explanation of what? I left nothing out in my report I submitted earlier."

Lady Koushu withdrew her hand out of the manicurist's grasp. She closely inspected each nail. "Oh that stack of papers? I threw them in the fire." She looked back at Kougaiji, avidly expecting his reaction.

His eyes widened and a vein pulsed once in his forehead before he regained his composure. "You did what?" Damn whore, he'd spent hours compiling information and wording everything just right. His fists tightened at his side.

"I don't want to read some concocted story, I want to hear it directly from you." She placed her hand back within the manicurists grip with an unconcerned air.

"Well then, long story short. I've located the Sanzo Party's whereabouts and confirmed that they have the Wild card with them. However they must realize her importance because they always keep one of their own with her."

"And that's stopping you and your men, how?" She asked snidely.

"I want to handle the situation as honorably as I can. I already am operating on too many unknowns for my comfort. At least allow me to perform my duties to the best of my abilities the best way I know how." He hoped the answer would distract her from the very salient fact that he had yet to bring Ty to her.

"Your abilities leave a lot to be desired, Kougaiji." Lady Koushu was becoming bored with the stoic prince. She knew him to most unimaginative from here on out with his answers and promises to bring the Wild Card to her. Something, or _someone_ was causing Kougaiji to sway from his tenuous obedience to her, and it was pissing Koushu off. Luckily, she still had other resources from which to draw. She inspected her blood-red nails yet again, grudgingly admiring the servant's attention to detail. "I tire of this conversation, go Kougaiji, and actually get something accomplished this time. I don't keep you around to constantly hear excuses." She waved her heavily lacquered hand in a dismissing gesture and looked off towards the dark corners of the room.


	23. Chapter 23

**_Well...it's taken forever, and I've been hashing and rehashing this chapter until I finally decided enough! And here it is!! I have a tentative outline as to where this is all going...and I am guessing maybe 7 chapters more or so..._**

**_Sorry about the seven or so months between updating. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just having a bit o' trouble writing lately. Please don't be angry!! _**

**_Props go out as always to my peeps Nimblnymph, ZabJade and all the others who keep me going!!_**

* * *

"Okay, when I knock on the door and draw her out, that's when you strike, okay?" Yaone whispered to her partner.

"I hardly consider sneaking into a creepy lab 'striking' but okay, I get it." Dokugakuji muttered. They were standing in the hallway near their apartments in Houtou Castle. Kougaiji had ordered them to search the premises for any trace of Lady Koushu's plans for Ty. They had started with their own apartments and those of her attendants. They were not expecting to find anything, and they didn't.

They spent hours combing the castle's extensive library for a hint or a clue of anything that alluded to the concubine's motives. The commons area of the castle, the bailey, stables, and attics, all revealed nothing. Yaone and Dokugakuji had returned to their apartments to change out of dusty bedraggled clothes, take a breather and to narrow their search to places that they haven't looked.

In Yaone's quarters, they spread a map of the castle across a table. They placed a smoke bomb over each place they had searched. It was the only thing she had in abundance that they could use to trace their steps. She supposed they could have used her grenades, but if one of those went off, Doku and herself wouldn't be around to tell Kougaiji of their progress. With the smoke bombs, all they would be doing is tearing up while they reported to him.

When they had indicated all the different parts of the castle that they had searched, they looked at the two areas that remained bare; the throne room and Dr. Nii's lab. Dokugakuji and Yaone looked at each other and saw apprehension in the other's eyes. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

Which is why they now found themselves out in the hallway of the castle near their rooms facing the direction where the infamous areas were. "Are you sure we'll find something in Nii's lab?" Dokugakuji asked. His look seemed doubtful, but determined.

Yaone nodded, "Logically, it seems the best place to look. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner."

"Well, let's go get this over with then." Doku rolled his shoulders and neck. He took a few steps down the hall and turned back to Yaone, who had trailed behind him. "You sure you want to be the one to distract Hwan?"

"Yes, I can engage her in some sort of chemistry question. I'll think of something." She chewed her lip in thought. She'd be fine if it was indeed Hwan that answered her summons. If it was Dr. Nii himself, she wasn't sure what she'd do then. The man made her skin crawl and she'd seen the looks he'd sometimes send her way and it was because of those looks Yaone made sure she was never alone with the guy.

Dokugakuji noticed her sudden apprehension and chucked her gently under the chin. "Hey, don't sweat it. We'll get in there, see if there's any information regarding Ty and get the hell out before they know what's goin on." He grinned mischievously and for a second Yaone saw a bit of Gojyo in the gesture. She found herself grinning back.

"You're absolutely right, Doku, but you seem to have accepted the situation rather quickly" She quipped.

"Come on, Yaone," Doku groaned, "use that beautiful head of yours for a second. Remember when they were fighting each other…Kou and Ty?"

She nodded, "Yes," She replied slowly. How could she forget that day? The girl had done everything including almost sacrificing herself in order to take down Lord Kougaiji. "What about it?"

"Well, were you watching them at all? The answer should have been obvious." Doku asked. He was kind of puzzled over how almost haughty Yaone was being. How could she not have seen what he did that day? She was usually the one to catch all of this 'aura' business, while Doku focused more on the physical battles. But watching Ty fight Kou was like watching a ten year old take on an adult. Her form was distracting and full of openings. It made him want to teach her how to defend herself better. Because of that distraction, he had noticed the differences, or rather the similarities, in the two combatants that day.

"Of course I was watching, Doku, I saw her blow Lord Kougaiji away with an enormous qi blast." She responded uncertainly.

Doku shook his head, "Yeah, but did you notice their auras? Their looks of determination? Hell, even their _height_ is similar."

Yaone found herself smiling, "I know you're trying to convince me, but even that's spreading your theory a little thin." She found herself considering Doku's words though. She thought back to the day that Ty had foolishly faced off against Kougaiji. Slowly she realized that she'd misjudged their auras. "I'd _thought_ Lord Kougaiji's aura seemed unnaturally strong; especially when facing such a weaker opponent than himself." She said in a tone bordering on wonder.

Doku smiled, pleased now that the apothecary finally seemed to get it. "Nope, that was Ty's aura _blending_ with Kou's. They're _that_ similar." He told her as they started walking down the hallway in the direction of the lab.

Yaone noticed none of the changing scenery; her mind was busy coming to the full realization of Doku's words. "If she is only a half sister to Lord Kougaiji, how can they have almost identical auras? Lirin's aura is distinctly different than theirs."

Dokugakuji shrugged, "Fuck if I know. I couldn't believe it either when I finally put it all together. Then I had the fun task of trying to tell them apart. That is why I fully accept her to be Gyumaoh's offspring—and sibling to Kou."

Yaone nodded thoughtfully, "Indeed—it must be so." They were just about to the lab and so she increased her pace. "Just remember what to do," She added under her breath. She approached the door and stared at it. Nervously she wiped suddenly damp palms on her tunic before she reached up and knocked three times fast on the door.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye to where Doku stood, concealed in the shadow of a support beam along the far wall. Yaone maintained a neutral smile on her face to greet whoever answered the door. Inwardly she was praying fervently that it would be Hwan. Yaone could handle the female scientist, just not her boss.

When the door opened it was neither Hwan or Nii, just his weird old lackey that had wires trailing down from the ceiling to connect to the back of his head. Yaone struggled to maintain her smile.

"What do you want?" Old Man Wang asked, all the while looking her up and down.

"Well—um—I was wondering if Dr. Hwan is in?" Yaone kept her voice light and mildly curious.

The old man leered more. "No, she ain't in and neither is Nii. It's just you and me, sweets." He grinned lecherously.

Yaone's smile slipped a notch or two. Crap! What were they going to do now? They needed in that lab! She straightened her spine. It was time for a change of plans. "I guess it is." She brought her smile back even though she wanted to run screaming for the refuge of her rooms. "But I suppose I shouldn't trouble you, with you being terribly busy." Yaone turned to leave, knowing what the creep's reaction would be.

He put a hand on her arm, "Not so fast, dearie. Why don't you step into my office and you can tell me what's bothering you." His voice sounded sincere, and she could almost believe him to be speaking the truth if it wasn't the casual, almost proprietary way he was stroking her arm, getting closer to her breast with each pass. She felt bile rise in the back of her throat, but yet her resolve settled her. If it got her in the lab, she'd think of something to protect her. She just prayed to the gods that Doku would come to her rescue if it all went to hell.

Inside the lab it was chaos incarnate. Papers and scrolls lay scattered like the autumn leaves across every flat surface _including_ the floor. There were graphs and chart print outs lying in crumpled masses like discarded wrapping paper in forgotten corners and cabinets. Computers hummed and printers spewed out miles of more paper hard copy. She even spied the Seiten scripture encased in a pressurized glass box. There were test tube racks with tubes leaning like drunken sailors in and out of their arms, Bunsen burners were sporadic throughout the room and thankfully weren't on due to the extreme fire hazard that the space presented. All of these things rubbed shoulder to shoulder with full ashtrays, empty and full beverage containers and the room smelled of stale coffee and cloying cigarette smoke.

Yaone barely suppressed a shudder. How could anyone work in this mess? It was dark and noisy and she felt claustrophobic in here and that wasn't even accounting for the creepy vibe she got from the weird little man in here with her. He made her ten times as uneasy as a messy workspace. To calm the fluttering in her stomach she thought of her own lab. It was bright, airy, clean, and most importantly—organized. She kept her spaces ready to go at a moment's notice if Kougaiji needed something done.

"Well then dear, what's on your mind?" He asked. Calmly, he swept his hand across a seat of a chair, spilling the stack of reports and papers that was on it to the floor. He indicated that she should sit there. He flopped himself in a heap into a worn leather desk chair that looked like it was moldering.

Yaone resisted the urge to pick up the papers and snoop through them with the guise of trying to sort them. This guy may look like a fool, but Dr. Nii must keep him around for a reason. She wouldn't underestimate him. "Um, not much I'm afraid. I had just wanted to ask Dr. Hwan a question." She calmly folded herself into the offered seat as she told the blatant lie.

"Ohhhhhh…." He drew the sound out and raised his eyebrows. "What about?"

Yaone managed to look bored and glance around, still hoping to catch sight of something that would answer some questions. "Oh, nothing too important, it's just a female problem." She waved a dismissive hand.

The man's eyebrows rose even further, "Really? I never knew you two to be close." He added warily. A hint of suspicion entered his eyes.

"Well, she _is_ a doctor, isn't she?" Yaone tried to blush and look a bit shy, "My own healing abilities have their limitations sometimes." She kept her lashes lowered and snuck a glance at him.

The suspicion had almost left his eyes and he looked almost disgusted. "Well she's not here, but I can get _Dr. _Nii here to help you out." He smiled and hit a button before she could protest. "Dr. Nii to the lab please, Dr. Nii you're needed in the lab." He released the button and looked at her. "There, he should be here in just a moment."

Yaone's smile was lost. Shit. Now what was she going to do?

* * *

Swearing profusely under his breath, Kougaiji strode from the 'throne room' angrily. The nerve of that conniving bitch! If his mother, Ty, and Lirin weren't under that whore's thumb, he could take control of Houtou Castle as was his right. He didn't desire the power as much as the opportunity it would provide to help his people. Right now they had all been thrown into chaos as her and that quack of a scientist plotted and schemed to their own devices. And all he could do was her bidding and watch as people he cared about suffered? He was damned if that was going to happen. The only thing was that he didn't know her motives for Ty. He knew it involved the resurrection project in some form or another, but until he knew for certain, he didn't want Ty anywhere near the vicinity of Houtou Castle. He would fabricate any length of bullshit reports to stall Koushu and her plans no matter the cost to himself.

Servants and commoner youkai scurried out of his way as he strode down the hallways of the castle. He needed to regroup with Yaone and Dokugakuji in order to figure out how best to proceed. He wondered how their search through the castle for any traces of proof—

His mental tirade was interrupted as a paging system blared out over head, "Dr. Nii to the lab please, Dr. Nii you're needed in the lab" Kougaiji growled at the mention of the scientist's name. What was that bastard needed in the lab for, to retrieve a clean pair of bunny slippers? That man was shady and Kougaiji didn't trust him as far as he could throw him; especially after that little incident involving a bit of mind control with Kougaiji as his star lab rat. The youkai prince curled his hands into fists as he continued to stride down the hallways, weaving around the people in the way and saying nothing to those who wordlessly bowed to him. Usually he would have stopped a few times to converse with the commoners that were his to protect, but today his temper had left him in a stoic and curt mood. He was filled with an impatience that was unfamiliar to him. He wanted to know what was going on, and he wanted to know _now_. More importantly he wanted to get Ty away from Sanzo, not just because he found himself growing attached to her and wanted to get to know her more, but because Sanzo was just as shrewd as Kougaiji was. He would try and use Ty against him, and Kougaiji didn't want to be put in that position. By just the other night's confession, Ty didn't care for Sanzo any more than he did, so getting her to leave him wouldn't be a big deal. The only monkey wrench in the whole works was Gojyo.

Ty had feelings for the long haired brother of Dokugakuji, and would not be easily separated from him. This presented a problem for him and his people. How could he protect her, if she stubbornly remained with his enemies?

"Kou!" A man's voice called out behind the prince, bringing him out of his musings. He looked up to see Doku.

"Yes?" Kougaiji responded. What was Doku doing near Nii's lab?

"It's Yaone; I think she's going to need your help." Doku looked over his shoulder towards the entrance to the lab. "She's in there." He jerked a chin in the general direction. "She went in with Old Man Wang, she hasn't come out, and just now there was a…"

"…a page." Kougaiji finished for him. Shit! If Yaone was stuck in there with Nii, there was no telling how to get her out, short of pulling rank. "Doku, let's go. We have to get her outa there."

"Uh, okay." Doku fell into step behind Kou as he walked up to the door of the lab to knock loudly on it. They were kept waiting several minutes until Dr. Nii opened the door.

"Good afternoon, my prince, is there something you need?" He asked with insincere politeness.

"Is Yaone in there?" Kougaiji asked curtly.

Nii's eyes widened, "Why, my lord, such a rude tone! Have I displeased you in some way?"

'Every time you breathe,' Kou thought darkly. To Nii he answered, "No, I just need to speak with her."

Suddenly there was a yelp and _thud_ behind Nii. Kougaiji felt worry spike his blood pressure. "Yaone! You in there?" He called loudly around Nii.

He heard a muffled, "Yes, my lord."

Nii took a step closer to Kougaiji. "You see, your apothocary came here seeking my help. Apparently she needs some medical attention. Are you really sure you want to disturb her?"

Kougaiji flashed a look to Doku for confirmation. The taller warrior gave a subtle shake of his head to indicate that Yaone did not need any help from Dr. Nii.

"That may be, however I require her presence in my quarters at once. She's in my service." Kougaiji hated the fact that the bastard was making him pull rank and break out the fancy lingo. Any other normal person would have gotten Yaone for him by now.

"Service, eh?" Nii's look turned into a leer. "I didn't know she _served_ in that capacity."

Kougaiji's eyes narrowed. This jackass was _trying_ to get under his skin. He refused to give Nii the pleasure. "She knows what her duties are, and that's all that matters. Now please get her for me." He responded levelly.

"Of course, _my lord_." Dr. Nii responded stiffly.

Shortly after, Yaone came stumbling out of the dark lab. Her cheeks were blazing with color and she held her tunic close to her to hide herself. "Kougaiji!" She looked relieved to see him.

"Yaone. I didn't know you were felling ill. Next time please tell me." He admonished for Nii's benefit.

Yaone's eyes were gleaming and she was fighting a smile. "Yes, of course. Now, you wanted to see me?"

Kougaiji turned on his heel to walk to his area of the castle. "Yeah, come on."

They were halfway back to his quarters when she added in an excited whisper. "I think I got it."

Kou turned to look at her. "Good to know." He smiled at her, perhaps this might be able to answer some of his questions. He would ask her how she came by the info later.

* * *

The open-air market was sunny and full of people. Ty followed Hakkai as he deftly maneuvered through the early morning masses. She had decided to accompany the dark haired youkai as he made his normal supply errands. Unable to sleep, she had left Gojyo in a tousled bed, and Sanzo was feeding his pet monkey. It was either sit in a corner of the restaurant by herself, or help Hakkai with shopping. The shopping won hands down; besides, she had some purchases of her own to make.

They didn't say much to each other, Hakkai noticed. He didn't know how to breach her defenses. He understood her need to be with someone right now, there were too many unknowns in her life. And with the animosity between her and Sanzo, Hakkai was an excellent buffer. So he didn't begrudge her choice. Actually, it was pleasant to have willing company. Gojyo was surly and full of sarcastic remarks about Hakkai's haggling, and Goku wanted him to buy anything that looked good, which to the younger man was everything edible. Ty was a silent shadow behind him, discreetly picking items of her own. She didn't haggle; just paid the asking price and mainly picked up staple type items and snack foods. She didn't seem to notice the faintly spiced air, or the hum of hagglers and shop keepers as they did their business.

Hakkai couldn't help himself, he turned his head so he spoke over his shoulder, "Goodness, you seem to be made of money back there. You're letting the shop keepers walk all over you."

Ty looked up from the six pack of soda in her hands, "I'm not made of money." She responded neutrally.

Hakkai smiled and turned fully to her, "Well then, allow me to point out that as the leader of this assignment, Sanzo made you come with us. Perhaps, he and the Temple he represents should be the one to foot the bill to your expenditures as well?"

He watched as a gleam entered Ty's eyes and an evil smirk form on her face. "Yes, perhaps he should." She responded in the same polite, but mischievous tone that Hakkai himself had affected. It made him feel a bit better when he saw that smile on her face.

As the morning wore on, Hakkai had taught Ty the finer art of haggling and she found herself perusing several tunics from a vendor that had an extremely elegant embroidery style. As she browsed, she took in the atmosphere around her. So this was an open air market and it's patrons. Thanks to Hakkai, not only was she _not_ getting robbed blind, but she--or rather Hakkai--was putting all of her purchases on Sanzo's card. The monk would probably shit kittens when he put together the itemized expenditure record for the Powers That Be, Hakkai's terminology, not hers. But by that time hopefully she and her treasures would be long gone out of his life.

She picked up a dove gray tunic that had teal and white embroidery along the neckline and cuffs. The neckline was V-shaped and the embroidery followed the line to make it look almost kimono-like. The garment came down to her thighs. The fabric was soft and felt like..."Is this silk?" She asked Hakkai, who was looking at a new sash.

He looked up and reached over, rubbing the fabric between two fingers, "It sure feels like it. Do you like it?" He knew the answer to that just by her gaze. He looked closer to where she had found the garment. "Looks like there are matching drawstring pants..." He picked them up to hold out in front of her.

"OOoohhh..." Ty murmured appreciatively. She reached out to run a hand cautiously down the length of one of the legs. She so wanted this outfit! But she looked at the vendor who gave her a smug smile. Oh, this wasn't going to be cheap. "How much?"

"Two hundred." Came the reply.

Ty's eyes bugged, "Two hundred?! Are you nu--" She was cut off by Hakkai.

"Allow me, please, Ty." Hakkai's smile never dimmed. "It is a beautiful outfit, but surely you'll accept fifty. This lady here has never been to an open air market before and wishes to have a good experience."

The shopkeeper's smile lost some of its luster. "Good experience, huh? Maybe she should try Red Light District for such cheap prices. One fifty." He grinned lecherously.

Hakkai laughed, "I'm sure this _lady_ has no desire to go to such a place, she'd rather stay here in the respectable area of town. Just think of the good word she could spread of your store? Seventy-five."

My store has a good reputation; I don't need to give my products away. One twenty-five." The shopkeeper knew he was dealing with a pro.

Hakkai wasn't phased. "But look at what a beautiful model she'll be for your fine goods? That tunic set will accent every curve. Ninety."

The shopkeeper stuck a dip of chewing tobacco in his mouth and looked Ty up and down. "Yeah, so what, the girl is hot, but many hot women shop at Xiao's. One ten."

Hakkai kept that smile on his face, "Xiao is your name? Excellent! Well, that may be the case, but there must be few that are as special as this one next to me. Ninety-five."

Xiao smiled, "She must be special if you are this determined. One hundred five."

Hakkai held out his hand, "She's important enough for me to offer one hundred. Final."

Xiao laughed and took Hakkai's hand, shaking it once. "Done. One hundred. You drive a hard bargain, sir."

Hakkai handed over the tunic set to Xiao to be packaged. "To see her smile, wouldn't you?"

Ty, who had been watching the haggling, started to blush as they were both talking about her. "Hakkai, jeez, you don't have to lie to the guy." She added self-derisively.

Xiao sobered slightly, but added, "Your wife doesn't know her own strengths."

Now it was Hakkai's turn to blush. "Oh, she isn't my wife." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. Jeep mewled as his nest on Hakkai's shoulder was disturbed at the gesture.

Xiao handed him the wrapped package, "Well, betrothed then."

Hakkai laughed, "She's not my betrothed either, just a really good friend. She's with my roommate."

Xiao looked Ty up and down again, "Lucky roommate."

As Ty thanked the shopkeeper again, she turned to leave with Hakkai when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone. "Lane?" She whispered to herself.

"Hmm?" Hakkai asked, but when he turned to hand her the package, he noticed her slipping through the stalls. "What on earth?"

Ty followed the tall sandy haired man. Just what was Lane doing this far west? "Lane!"

The man in question jumped, and slowly turned. Sure enough, it was the cowboy. As Ty neared, she thought she saw a grimace cross his face before a smile was plastered over it. "Ty! What in the world?" He stepped forward and gave her a hug.

Perhaps it was because of what she had been through, but she shied away from his embrace. "What are you doing here, Lane?" She asked, not unkindly. She was happy to see a familiar face, but the suspicion from the guys had affected her and she wondered at his motives.

He sobered and his good ol' boy demeanor faded. "I have an aunt out here that needed some help with her farm. And since the semester is done, I came on out to help out." He shifted his weight, as he looked her up and down, "How did you get out here, Ty? Why did you skip out on the rest of your semester?"

"Oh, I dunno." She kind of chuckled. Damn. How was she going to explain this? Well, it's not like she was going to graduate on time…if ever. "I just felt the need for a change of scenery."

Lane blinked. "A change...of scenery?" He laughed, "Leave it to you to get wanderlust half a semester before the break.

Ty halfway laughed. "Uh, yeah. Something like that." It _was_ good to see a familiar face though. One from home, not one she'd gotten accustomed to seeing in the past few weeks. And especially when this face was smiling down at her. She felt herself smile back. "I thought you were mad at me though, so why the happy face now?" She challenged softly.

Lane laughed and raked his hand through his sandy hair, causing her to think of a certain redheaded half-breed. Stubbornly she pushed his face out of her mind and focused on what Lane was saying. "Well I _was_ mad…very much so. But then you just up and vanished and everyone had no clue as to where you got to." He drawled solemnly. "Your roommate Alana went about out of her mind. All you left was a vague note and she…_we…_were supposed to be okay with that?" His voice now carried an edge of anger threaded with worry. "Ty, for all accounts, you just dropped off the face of the Earth, and the last person I see you with is that strange lookin fella. What do you think I thought?" He came closer to her, cupping her chin in her hand. "I thought he had kidnapped you…"

Ty was uneasy in the face of such drama, she edged away and added flippantly, "Lane, I'm hardly a kid…how can I be napped?"

Lane was not to be put off the trail so easily, "Did he force you to go with him? Are you here against your will?"

Ty's temper pulsed once before she forced herself to relax. He was just concerned about her. "Would I be out shopping if I had been? No, now come off of it, Lane. He didn't kidnap me." She sighed and continued, "Don't you remember what I told you that night? Gojyo and the others are helping me with stuff."

Lane looked hurt, "And I can't, right?"

Ty blew out a breath, "Lane, it's a long story, and I doubt you'd believe half the stuff I'd tell you. Hell, _I_ don't believe most of it. It doesn't need to be re-hashed, let's just accept the fact that I am with those guys for a reason."

"Well, if you're not a prisoner, you can come out to have a drink with me tonight." Lane's grin was cocky.

"Oh I can, can I?" She grinned back. His light green eyes were twinkling as they stared at each other. She thought of the kiss they had shared in her bathroom the night she had changed. She remembered the way he had bandaged her cuts on her cheek…the furrows that were now pale scars. As if reading her mind, he reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand, running his thumb across the marks.

"Looks like those healed up rather nicely." He murmured huskily.

She stared up into his intent gaze. "Yeah." She sighed. She was drowning in those green orbs. The hand on her cheek was warm and welcoming. She didn't even realize she had taken a step until she found herself held against him. His hand was still cradling her face and his other arm was anchored securely around her waist. All she was thinking of was the sensation of feeling his hard body from shoulder to toes. All she could smell was his scent…subtle yet musky, like freshly turned loam and sod, a very earthy smell. Everything faded away except him. The town, the people, everyone, gone…except something tingled at the back of her consciousness, but she stubbornly pushed it away. She was reveling in the essence of _man_.

A sudden weight on her shoulder, with blunt claws dug in and mewled loudly in her ear. It made Ty jump and Lane step back from her with wide eyes. She staggered like a drunk on Saturday night before catching herself. What…was…oh…Hakuryuu. She blinked dizzily. What was he doing here?

"Ty! Thank goodness I found you!" Hakkai walked up to where the pair stood. Jeep chirped in what almost sounded like relief at the dark-haired man's approach.

"Hakkai, yeah, uh…I was on my way to meet up with you, when I got sidetracked." Ty looked confused about something and looked down at Lane's hand still on her arm.

Intense green eyes took in the sight before fixing solidly on the guy slightly behind Ty. "I didn't know you were acquainted with anyone in this town, Ty." The unsaid question was _'Do you need help?_'

Ty shook herself out of Lane's grip. "I didn't think I was either, however it turns out Lane here has some family in need of help on their farm. I know him from back home, he's the president of the Rodeo Club." She responded.

Hakkai's voice lightened, but Ty noticed his brows were still furrowed. It seemed Hakkai didn't buy it. "Well then, it's a pleasant surprise for you. Shall I go on ahead and leave you two to catch up?"

Ty still felt a bit shaky from whatever had happened. She just wanted to go back to her room and lie down. "Oh, that won't be necessary, Hakkai, I need to get back to the hotel. I may as well walk with you." Ty looked once back at Lane. "Good luck in helping your family, Lane." She started to walk back towards the market.

"Ty! Wait!" Lane lunged and grabbed her in what looked to be a big hug, Hakkai carefully watched for signs of any tricks or traps from the younger man. One could never be too sure. That, and Ty wasn't acting like herself. He had noticed the glaze over her eyes and wondered at its source.

Ty wrenched herself away after a moment and with a brief glance in Lane's direction she turned and walked away towards the hotel. Hakkai wordlessly followed with Jeep riding on his shoulder.

* * *

Back at the hotel, Ty bypassed the restaurant/tavern area and went straight up to the room. It was nearing noon and her early morning was catching up with her, not to mention that vertigo when she was with Lane. What was with that? This hectic traveling and random skirmishes with both demons and Sanzo were getting to her. She needed to get more sleep.

So, she placed her packages on the chair quietly and slipped off her shoes. Noticing the lump on the bed under the covers, it looked like Gojyo was still there. Grinning, she peeled off her jeans and carefully slid into bed, running her hands up his sides.

"FUUCCCCCKKKKK!!" Gojyo yelped, shooting straight up out of the cocoon of blankets. "You're FREEZING!" He burrowed more into the comforter and away from Ty, who was laughing.

"Awwwww...you're not very nice. I'm cold, Gojyo, can't you warm me up?" She scooted closer as he shied away.

"Gorgeous, touch me with those icicle hands one more time, and you won't be sharin' my bed for a week!" Gojyo mock warned.

Ty grinned, "You wouldn't do that to little ol' me, now would you?"

"Freeze my balls off like that again and you'd be surprised what I'm capable of." Gojyo replied.

"I didn't even go near your setup, so I don't know why you're complaining. I'll just stay away from there all together then if you're so touchy." Ty replied saucily.

"Well you don't have to go that far. In fact, I think I know of a good way to warm you up." He lifted the blanket just enough to gather her close, then tucked the blankets around them again.


End file.
